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Summer 2018 - Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 January.

The VHF-UHF Field Days provide VHF-UHF operators with the opportunity to "head for the hills" and see how far and how many they can work.

The Field Days have separate sections for single and multiple operator stations. The duration of the Field Day is 24 hours, but there are also 8 hour sections for operators who may not be able to camp overnight. Most club stations prefer to operate for the full 24 hours.

The Field Days also generate plenty of activity from home stations, so there is also a separate Home Station section.

All contacts must be simplex: contacts through repeaters or satellites are not allowed. There is plenty of FM activity, but one feature of the Field Days is a high level of SSB activity.

It is possible to do very well with only modest antennas if you pick a good hilltop. Another option, if your station is easily transportable, is to operate from more than one location during the contest period.

More info : http://www.wia.org.au/members/contests/vhfuhf/

PDF of rules for this event are not yet on the WIA web site.

The rules will likely be the same as these (dates excepted): 2017 Summer VHF-UHF Field Day Rules - http://www.wia.org.au/members/contests/vhfuhf/documents/2017%20Summer%20VHF-UHF%20Field%20Day%20Rules.pdf
or maybe 2017 Spring Field Day Rules
- http://www.wia.org.au/members/contests/vhfuhf/documents/2017%20Spring%20VHF-UHF%20Field%20Day%20Rules.pdf

It is only a few weeks away and, given the distractions of our varied Christmas and New Year activities, it will be upon us before you realise it. Contemplate it now and prepare your action plan.

Hope to work you in this contest..

73 Doug VK4ADC

A PDF of the rules has been posted to the WIA VHF-UHF Field Day page, at: http://www.wia.org.au/members/contests/vhfuhf/

The rules are the same as for the three events over 2017.

Don't forget to post your location and other details to the Contest Radar website, at: https://www.contestradar.com/

Enjoy! Big Grin

Greetings to all readers!

I hope that the summer DX season is working out well for many VHF-UHF operators!

For the forthcoming Summer VHF-UHF Field Day Contest, weather permitting, I propose to be operating on the Saturday evening from Kamarun Lookout (near O'Riellys Resort) QG61NU, and on the Sunday morning from Mt Gravatt in Brisbane, QG62MK. Commencement times should be around 7:00 p.m. and 6:30 a.m respectively.

[As many operators may know, I have most frequently in recent years been using a site in the Border Ranges National Park. However, as of now and for the next few weeks, that site is unavailable due to NSW Parks and Wildlife having work done on the roads in the park. Thus my decision to use Kamarun Lookout]

I should have equipment available for all bands from 50 MHz up to and including 76 GHz, with initial talk-back/liaison happening on 146.5 MHz FM simplex or 439.0 MHz FM simplex. My mobile 'phone is 0428 191 066 but, understandably, that's only infrequently resorted to.

Here's looking forward to good weather and many folk having many contacts on many bands!

Cheers and 73,

--Doug Friend, VK4OE.

Bump. This weekend...

It looks like this FD will pass without the VK4ADC callsign being used either as a /P or /H ( at QG62LG51) for the first time in some years. Circumstances may change such that I might find some time available to work from home but certainly portable operation is ruled out and any operations would not be a serious contest effort.

On an aside, I am finding that my interest in these activities is lacking due to the low participation rates in the recent FD events. Where I would readily set aside time for FD preparation and outings in previous years, that situation is rapidly being displaced by involvement in other non-AR activities on those weekends. I will be interested to see if the entrants and the bands they used listed in the published results is larger than the recent FD events - maybe that might encourage and re-enthuse me before the Winter FD.

To those of you who are going to participate, good luck & good DX.

73 Doug VK4ADC

VK4ADC wrote:

"..... I am finding that my interest in these activities is lacking due to the low participation rates in the recent FD events....."

Gee, I wonder why? Could it be because many of us are fed up with mounting a weekend FD operation just to make endless numbers of contacts with locals every two hours? I certainly am. So much for distance-based scoring. Working bucket-loads of locals every couple of hours ain't my idea of a contest.

Instead, my itinerary for the weekend will be:

Saturday: Take my son and grandson to a vintage machinery rally, followed by a wedding anniversary celebration (enough of that, you lot! I'm a grandfather!)

Sunday: Play bluegrass music with friends at a local brewery. No contest, as it were!

Never thought that would happen, after more than 40 years of VHF hammin'!

Chas
VK3PY

I should be around but I wont be spending all my weekend time listening to noise. I'll have WSPR running on 2m & 6m if thats the case or im not in the shack. Otherwise will be on 144.150 initially.

I now have 4 x 13 elem yagis up with 8m booms, top antennas probably about 26m up, will be good to test them out with a few stations.
Running 4 x 30 ele on 70cm with 8m booms, top yagis about 15m. If I get a chance can see if I can get the PA online.

On 23cm I've not yet done anything about the RX pre-amp which was damaged from previous contest. Will see if I can by-pass it.

I'll also be monitoring the KST Chat page for 144 MHz, Region 3 if your looking for me.
http://www.on4kst.org/chat/index.php

(09-01-2018, 10:54 AM)Hi Leigh,We will be around as usual from QF22DM, always looking for you and others in the northern and easterly directions.Chas is right - the concept of distance based scoring doesn\t seen to have improved the situation regarding the number of stations who are prepared to come up and operate from distant locations.Personally, I felt there was more activity when grid squares were the go, as it encouraged more stations to get out and provide at least the dozen or so grid squares adjacent to your operating position. With GPS locking, we have got to the stage where we can work a number of stations from 6 metres through to 24 Ghz in less than 2 minutes,AND THEN SPEND THE NEXT 2 HOURS ENDLESSLY CALLING CQ or trying to arrange qsos with other stations via all sorts of other means, especially on the bands from 1.2 Ghz upwards.Still, every contest brings up new equipment to try and propagation paths to conquer - when we can arouse someone from a great distance to try and come on and operate.Last Summer we had qsos with ZL on 2metres before the contest, but nothing when it really mattered!I guess the reality is that a small active ham population and vast distances between population centres is not conducive to high participation rates. I hope you can manage to bypass the preamp on 1.2 Ghz - we'll just have to shout an extra 10db louder!CheersPeter VK3QI (VK3ER/p) Wrote: [ -> ]I should be around but I wont be spending all my weekend time listening to noise. I'll have WSPR running on 2m & 6m if thats the case or im not in the shack. Otherwise will be on 144.150 initially.

I now have 4 x 13 elem yagis up with 8m booms, top antennas probably about 26m up, will be good to test them out with a few stations.
Running 4 x 30 ele on 70cm with 8m booms, top yagis about 15m. If I get a chance can see if I can get the PA online.

On 23cm I've not yet done anything about the RX pre-amp which was damaged from previous contest. Will see if I can by-pass it.

I'll also be monitoring the KST Chat page for 144 MHz, Region 3 if your looking for me.
http://www.on4kst.org/chat/index.php

VK3KQ/P will be operating from hilltop 20km south of Ballarat, QF12VG on 6,2,70,23 and several higher bands.

Expect to work most anyone in vk1, southern /central vk2, vk7 and vk5.

NOTE:
Hope everyone in VK5 who is participating in next weekend's field day will forget about those pesky rovers and beam towards vk3 where lot of points and fun are to be had.
Don't be a Girlie-Ham ! Tongue

Work other states.. especially us at VK3KQ/P Big Grin

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