Moving above the higher bands can be challenging. It’s a lot of fun though. There’s a whole new world of experimentation and hands-on. If you’re in an elevated position or like going portable, give this aspect of our hobby consideration.
There’s nothing better than heading out and making a few contacts on a field weekend either with the local radio club or flying solo, especially when 6m is open! My contests of choice – the John Moyle field day and the VHF/UHF field days.
If you’ve lost interest in the HF bands, why not give FT8 a go. It’s super easy to get going, and with an ever increasing range of software becoming available to assist in QSOs and logging, it leaves more time for making contacts!
For whatever reason, everyone has a favourite band. It may be the characteristics or challenge of getting on a band that appeals to some operators. 10 GHz is one of those bands, and when it comes to antennas, accuracy is everything!
First licence in 1981 as VK3XFQ, then VK3KIR, I'm now VK3FS.
All good hobbies need a licence, and flying drones is no different! I'm CASA certified.
Since 1984 I've been in the broadcasting industry. Production in TV and on air on ABC Radio.
This IC-705 case makes portable operation super easy, especially for microwave operation. The solid and sturdy case protects your investment as well it allows a bit of space for add-ons such as a micr
IC-7300 automatic antenna switcher follows you when you switch bands on your IC-7300. Use it to switch antennas or any band-specific device.
An Icom 13 pin Accessory Breakout PCB that breaks out all pins on the accessory jack to a breadboard enabling direct IO from the IC-7300
The ionosphere is a layer of Earth's atmosphere 60 to 1,000 km above the planet. Ionised by solar radiation it can reflect radio waves.
This is the 360° view overlooking Mt Martha very close to the VK3FS shack.
SolarHam provides real time Space Weather news and data from various sources, all in one location for easy navigation.
Visit SolarHam.com
VKspotter gives radio operators a real time portal into band conditions. This tool is invaluable to anyone working 6m and above.
Visit site
Heywhatsthat.com is a great tool for path profiling. If you want to know what you can see from a particular spot, this is your site. Great for microwave outings too.
HeyWhatsThat.com
William Hepburn's reference site for global tropo. You'll know all about this if you tinker in the higher bands. This link will take you to the AU/NZ forecast
Visit site
Whether it’s an annoying buzz or hum, radio interference can certainly diminish the enjoyment of our hobby. Finding it and getting it fixed can be one of those challenges that can try us, but it need not be. This is the story of my local QRM in the VK3FS shack and how I fixed it.
Experimenting with microwaves is not only a lot of fun, it can be a terrific learning experience. From 2.4GHz up, there’s so much to build and experiment with. The IC-905 has added new life to the bands, but there’s always the challenge of going beyond the realm of the black box.
Icom’s ‘Industry First’ VHF UHF Microwave transceiver is now available. The IC-905 is an all mode transceiver with 144–5600 MHz coverage plus a 10 GHz transverter option. If you own any of Icom’s SDRs, then the IC-905 will be easy to set up and operate.
The new Icom IC-705 All Mode Transceiver which is a QRP rig is now out in the wild. As an owner of an IC-9700, in some ways, this radio is very similar in operation, but in other ways, it’s so very different.
The Icom IC-9700 is a brilliant radio with just one flaw. It drifts! If you’re just using the radio on voice, then chances are, you haven’t noticed. The frequency drift issue has had many talking about this instability since the radio’s release back in January 2019. For such an expensive transceiver, how could Icom have overlooked something as fundamental as frequency stability?
This is the second SG Lab transverter that I’ve purchased. The first was Hristiyan LZ5HP’s 2400 MHz transverter which has worked flawlessly since day 1. Located in Sofia, Bulgaria, SG Lab makes all sorts of microwave and RF products for commercial applications therefore they’re well positioned to make amateur radio products.
Well, this was a surprise. Thank you to those who nominated me, whoever you are, and thank you to the Wireless Institute of Australia for the recognition.
Making video content is what I have done for a living for over four decades. I’m lucky to have worked with many industry professionals over that time and I’ve been fortunate to learn from my colleagues.
It’s nice that this content sticks out above the noise on the many social media platforms and that watchable, educating and informative content can help lift the profile of our wonderful hobby of amateur radio globally. Check out the VK3FS channel on YouTube.
