Laurie Gordon, VK2GZ writes via the WIA Club Mailing List:

Amateur Radio on Sydney Ferries – a unique contest on the harbour.

Waverley Amateur Radio Society is proud to announce a unique new contest which aims to bring amateurs together on Sydney’s world-famous harbour and its historic ferry service.

The date is Sunday March 13, 2016 and the object will be to make as many contacts as possible, afloat from the ferries or from any of the system’s 36 wharves.

Operation will be restricted to VHF and UHF bands, any mode, simplex or through repeater using hand-held transceivers.

A scoring system will encourage operators to visit as many wharves and travel on as many ferries as possible in a six-hour period.

As points will be claimed per location/contact rather than distance and with no advantage for high power or digital modes, all classes of licensees, including Foundation, can compete equally.

Many parts of the harbour are within range of several repeaters, with plenty of scope for simplex operation ferry-to-ferry or wharf-to ferry.

There will be a number of awards for achieving goals such as Worked All Ferries, as well as for highest number of points achieved.

Home and mobile operators will also be able to take part by contacting amateurs riding the ferries or activating wharves.

It is hoped that if successful, this inaugural event may become part of the regular amateur radio contest calendar.

Since its formation in 1919, WARS has had a long association with central Sydney and the harbour. Many of our diverse member base live and work around the harbour and regularly use the ferry service to travel for business and leisure.

With its headquarters at Rose Bay, just a few metres from the harbour itself, the club is well-positioned to host this exciting event.

As the special Sunday fare allows you to travel all day for just $2.50, the club is hoping that the contest will attract a good number of participants for an exiting and enjoyable day out on one of the world’s most beautiful harbours.

Further details will be added to the club’s Ferry Contest page which can be found here.