I am doing the inaugural of the just added Hungry Head State Beach AU-11195, today, 11 April 2026. Hungry Head is at Urunga on the NSW north coast between Coffs Harbour and Nambucca Heads. I am using an Icom IC-7300 and JPC-12 vertical. I’ll be on 40 and 15 meters in phone/ssb between 0500 and… Continue reading Inaugural #POTA activation – Hungry Head State Beach AU-11195
Thanks to Alan McDonald (VK1AO and VK2MET) VK1 and VK2 Parks on the Air (POTA) coordinator, five more locations in Bellingen Shire have been added to the parks list. Bellingen Shire is on the NSW North Coast and is bounded by Coffs Harbour City, Nambucca Shire and Armidale Regional local government areas. Its main settlements… Continue reading New #POTA locations in Bellingen Shire on the NSW North Coast. #amateurradio #hamradio
So, some nerdy fun today. I’ve previously posted on talking to other amateur radio operators via a repeater on the International Space Station. I’ve usually do this from home with a higher power radio and base antenna. Yesterday I took delivery of a highly directional “Yagi” antenna that connects to my low power hand held… Continue reading A Yagi is now part of my life
My ‘first principles’ in getting back into DXing and SWLing before ‘transitioning’ to a licensed radio amateur were to get a vintage box-type radio. I got a 35-year-old Yaesu FRG-8800, and it was good fun. It worked as a radio should — signal meter, digital display, volume and tuning knobs, lights, and a big ‘coax… Continue reading Getting into Software-Defined Radios can be confusing, especially on Mac and Apple devices. Here’s my cheat sheet.