The club’s 2024 Christmas Party will be held on Saturday the 7th of December.
The venue will again be the covered picnic area at the Long Point Vineyard and Art Gallery at 6 Cooinda Place, Lake Cathie. Cooinda Place runs off Long Point Drive which in turn runs off Houston Mitchell Drive. This is the “Ghost Road” which runs between Ocean Drive just south of Lake Cathie, and the Pacific Highway. The location is easy to find but a map is available on the Vineyard web site at http://www.longpointvineyard.com.au/contact-us/
The Christmas party will be from 10:30 am onwards. There will be a sausage sizzle barbeque lunch followed by delicious pavlova and trifle desserts. Please bring your own salads and nibbles and drinks. Note that alcoholic drinks may not be brought to the venue but the Cellar Door will be open for purchases. The club will have some soft drinks and water available. Tea and coffee will also be available.
We look forward to a good attendance at this year’s Christmas party. Please take the opportunity to come along and socialize. The covered picnic area has an elevated timber floor. The cover provides shade from the sun and offers shelter in the event of rain. There is no charge and family and friends are most welcome. If you have a folding chair and table, please bring them to help with the seating.
November Oxtales is here! This bumper edition combines the best of what would have been September’s Oxtales with November’s exciting updates, making it a double dose of radio fun! Our dedicated editor, despite the monumental task of moving house, has pulled together another stellar newsletter packed with field day recaps, antenna experiments, upcoming events, and some fascinating technical and historical tidbits.
A big thank you to everyone who contributed articles and photos—and, of course, to our editor for their tireless work and exceptional dedication. Members should have received their copy via email, but as always, current and past editions are available on our website here.
July Oxtales is here! Read all about our very successful field day, antenna shootout and other coming events! There’s lots of other Amateur radio news, some blasts from the past and some sciencey stuff too! Thank you to all contributors and our diligent editors!
Members should now have received their copy by email, but website copies of the current and past editions can always be found here.
Attached for download is the codeplug developed by me (Paul VK2ICQ) that was loaded onto many Anytone 878I and 878II handheld radios during the 2024 ORARC Field Day as part of the club’s popular ‘DMR Clinic’. The codeplug features all VKDMR DMR repeaters nationwide, all Analog FM repeaters, and some auxiliary services. I believe this codeplug may also work on the 578 Mobile & 868 HT too.
The ZIP file contains 3 folders:
Import – CSV files and a corresponding LST file, which is used by the Anytone CPS software’s ‘import’ feature. Anytone radios should be reset after each firmware and corresponding CPS upgrade, and the radios freshly programmed to ensure no abnormalities. This export was done from Firmware/CPS version 3.03, but providing the import files enables the codeplug to be imported into later firmware versions without issue (something that is NOT guaranteed had I just provided a saved .RDT codeplug file). You MAY be able to use this codeplug on earlier firmware, but I wouldn’t recommend it (upgrade your radio).
Settings – 17 screenshots of how I have my radio’s settings configured. One bugbear of the Anytone software is that the settings cannot be exported/imported, so you’ll need to set them manually yourself. The way we want our radios to work for us is very much a matter of personal preference, and my chosen settings may not be to your liking, but I believe they are probably a good baseline – YMMV.
Background – A single .bmp background image I like to use. Anytone firmware releases include a folder called ‘D878UVscreens’, and this image was taken from that folder. You may find other backgrounds you prefer in that folder, or you may prefer no background image at all. I like this background for its cleanliness and simplicity – I feel the Anytone does not need a busier display than it already has!
At a high-level, the programming process is as follows:
Download and extract the ZIP archive to reveal the 3 folders.
Open the latest CPS software and start a new file [File – New].
Import the codeplug using [Tool – Import – Import from File List]. Select the ‘Anytone.LST’ file from the ‘Import’ folder you extracted in step 2.
Set your DMR ID & Callsign by expanding [Digital – Radio ID List]. Replace the ‘5059999’ and ‘VKxxxx’ placeholders.
Refer to the 17 screenshot files and replicate the desired settings to your codeplug by expanding [Common Setting – Optional Setting].
If you’d like to set the background, load the image into the radio using [Tool – Standby BK Picture 1]. You will need the radio on and connected via the programming cable to upload the file.
Program the radio as normal using [Program – Write to Radio]. Save the file in the CPS for future use.
You will likely also want to:
Program your hotspot frequency if you have one. The default channels are set up for a duplex hotspot using 438.9125 (-7 MHz). You can edit the channels in the CPS after importing, or use Excel and edit the ‘Channels.CSV’ file before import. If using Excel, change columns [C] and [D] to reflect your chosen TX & RX frequencies for channels 2-50. If you have a simplex hotspot, set TX & RX to be the same frequency. You also need to tell the CPS whether you’re using a simplex or duplex hotspot – do this in the CPS using [DMR Mode], setting it to either [Repeater] (for duplex hotspots) or [DMO/Simplex] for each hotspot channel. If you’re using Excel, you can edit each channel column [AT] with the header ‘DMR Mode’ where 0 = ‘simplex’ and 1 = ‘repeater’.
Download the Digital Contact List. This codeplug ships with an empty Digital Contact List as it is out of date moments after it’s downloaded. The Digital Contact List contains callsigns, names, and addresses for all Amateur DMR operators. The 878 model I will hold 200,000 contacts. The 878 model II will hold 500,000. At the time of writing, there are approximately 260,000 contacts in total, so Model I users will need to trim the database to make it fit by removing countries of least interest. I would recommend using RadioID.net’s excellent Contact Generator, but it does require a yearly subscription (which is worth it for DMR nuts like myself). Alternatively, KF5IW’s list builder is free.
Perform further customizations. This codeplug does not include advanced features such as GPS Roaming, Scan Lists, APRS Setup, or Brandmeister Network support. You may like to configure and enable these features as you become familiar with the radio.
DMR operation requires knowledge of DMR principles, and a degree of troubleshooting and codeplug customization is expected. The steepness of the learning curve varies for all operators, but like all facets of amateur radio, don’t expect to ‘get it’ without doing some research. This codeplug is provided ‘as is,’ and it is not possible to assist with any technical difficulties you may encounter. Comments are welcome for any suggestions you may have or errors you may find.
The Oxley Region Amateur Radio Club annual Field Day will be held at the Wauchope Showground hall with all the usual field day activities on Saturday and Sunday the 8th and 9th of June 2024 during the King’s Birthday Long Weekend. The Field Day dinner will be held at the Port Macquarie Golf Club on the Saturday night. Mark your calendar now. The Wauchope Showground permits camping so it is possible to stay on site in your own motor home, caravan or tent with power and amenities.
Click here to download a copy of the Field Day Program (PDF).
Here’s page 3 from the program, the Field Day schedule:
Our continued thanks go to VK2CLL’s daughter Jacqui for her continued fantastic Graphics Design work! See everyone in June!
