Via Strictly Ham‘s Facebook (and email mailing list too). Announcement here.
Yaesu have released pricing for the upgrade of the FT-991 Transceiver to FT-991A Spec (which adds a Real-Time Spectrum Scope). It’s not cheap – $600. 🙁
When compared with UK pricing, which was announced last week by ML&S at £480, $600 AUD isn’t bad. It’s also not that unexpected as the pricing differential between the FT-991 and the FT-991A is $445 AUD. It’s still too steep an ask for me I’m afraid.
Not Ham related, but here’s an excellent set of articles on Forgotten Audio Formats from (the always fantastic) arstechnica.com. How many did you own? How many did you have to repair?
As promised, the Sydney Amateur Radio Ferry Contest is back for a second year following on from 2016’s excellent turnout. Laurie VK2GZ writes via the club’s email:
I am writing to ask for your help in promoting the 2nd Annual Sydney Amateur Radio Ferry Contest which takes place on Sydney Harbour on Sunday March 12th 2017 from 10:00 to 16:00 local time.
This unique contest hopes to attract hams from all over the nation to make VHF/UHF contacts from any of the system’s ferries and 36 wharves.
With all-day travel for just $2.50 using an Opal Card, this is a great way to spend a Sunday!
Operation is restricted to hand-held radios (any mode) and can include repeater, simplex or “eyeball” (a handshake and an exchange of QSL cards) contacts.
Multipliers are gained by working multiple ferries and/or wharves. A number of awards, including the prestigious “Worked All Ferries” (or WAF Award), are available.
The event is being run by the Waverley Amateur Radio Society (VK2BV) and we will be running a club station at Rose Bay Ferry Wharf for the duration of the contest. We hope to eyeball as many contestants as we can during the day.
Full contest details and rules are here.
There is also a Facebook group page here (or search Sydney AR Ferry Contest). Please join the group!
Hoping to see you on the Harbour.
73
Reserve the date, lets see if we can get a few members down there this year!
From Southgate AR News, original post here.
Radio amateur Dave Akerman M0RPI has published his guide to High Altitude Ballooning, From The Ground Up (and back again).
High Altitude Ballooning makes for a challenging project that sometimes turns into an engrossing hobby. Whilst it’s not “rocket science” it does encompass a wide range of fields (sometimes literally) and there’s a lot to learn before you send your first flight up into the sky.
Read his guide here.
From Southgate AR News, original post here.
CIA reports about amateur (ham) radio in the former Soviet Union (including the Baltic States) and Warsaw Pact member countries have been declassified to a new online search engine.
The website is here.
The documents include translations and assessments of amateur radio clubs, including DOSAAF; training; monitoring sputniks; technology and equipment; and even QSL cards.
All the documents have been de-classified and made available to the public for the first time in this internet archive; some were previously available in a closed system at the US national archives.