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Show & Tell - SGARS September 2016 Gathering
The September 2016 SGARS gathering will be an opportunity for members to show any amateur radio related projects or equipment, and tell those at present about their achievement. The project or equipment should be amateur radio related and be of interest to others, e.g. test equipment, homebrew transceivers, SDR, antennas, antenna matching, keyers, etc.
Of course there will be usual tea, coffee, biscuit and rag chew afterwards. The next SGARS gathering will be held on Wednesday 7th September 2016, commencing at 7.30 PM local time, at our club rooms Donnelly Park, Kyle Parade, Connells Point (near South Hurstville).
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Contest Calender 2016
Contesting is an excellent way for new amateur radio operators or those returning to the hobby, to gain some operating experiencing without the fear finding something to talk about. In a contest, contacts between stations are very structured with exchange of callsign, signal reports and usually a serial number.
January 1st to 31st - Ross Hull Contest
January 9th to 10th - Summer VHF-UHF Field Day
March 19th to 20th - John Moyle Field Day
May 7th - Harry Angel Sprint
June 4th to 5th - Australian VK Shires Contest
June 18th to 19th - Winter VHF/UHF field Day
July 2nd to 3rd - VK / Trans-Tasman Contest 80/160m Multi-mode
July 30th - SGARS 80 Metre Contest
August 13th to 14th - Remembrance Day Contest
August 20th to 21st - Lighthouse and Lightship Contest
August 27th to 28th (Z) - ALARA Contest
September 3rd to 4th (Z) - All Asian DX Contest, Phone
October 1st to 2nd (Z) - Oceania DX Contest SSB
xxNovember 13th to 15th - Keith Roget Memorial National Parks Award (VK3)
xxNovember 21st to 22nd - Spring VHF-UHF Field Day
December 1st to February 29th - SGARS 2 Metre Contest
Thank you to Ken VK2BBQ for providing this summary of VK amateur radio contests for 2016
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Licence Training & Assessment 2016
Obtaining an amateur radio licence is easy with the Foundation entry level accreditation. The introduction of the new entry level foundation licence in 2006 has re ignited a high level of interest in the hobby. There is no morse code to learn, you don't need technical qualifications and there are no age limits. Anyone can start to participate in the exciting hobby of Amateur Radio by reading the Foundation License Manual and attending a weekend of training and assessment. The assessment consists of a 25 question multiple choice exam paper and a straight forward practical assessment.
The St George Amateur Radio Society (SGARS) will be holding Foundation licence courses and assessments throughout 2016. Each will be held over a weekend. The dates are;
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- Category: Licence
Amateur Radio Portable / Field Operation - July 2016
Based on the recent portable operation by Paul VK2GX, this informative presentation will cover the basics for a successfully operating your portable amateur radio station in the great outdoors. Paul will also provide an overview of the popular parks and peaks operation, and contesting.
Seasoned operators are also invited to discuss their own portable operation experiences, to encourage others to participate in this popular and rapidly growing aspect of amateur radio.
The Portable / Field Operation presentation will be held on Wednesday evening 6th July 2016, commencing at 7.30 PM, at the club rooms in Donnelly Park, Kyle Parade, Connells Point (near South Hurstville).
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2016 SGARS Executive Committee
At the December meeting of The St George Amateur Radio Society Inc, members elected an executive committee for 2016, as follows;
Roland Riede - VK2YAD - Committee Member
Steven Skeekey - VK2UHI - Committee Member
The remaining non executive roles will be filled by the committee shortly.
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What is Ham Radio - ABC 702 Sydney
What is ham radio?
There are 15,000 members of this unique hobby in Australia and over 3 million world wide. It's personal communication and probably the earliest form of social networking. It's ham radio. But what does it entail exactly?
Linda Mottram, Mornings presenter on Sydney's ABC 702 radio station spoke to Brian Stokes, the third youngest member of the Blue Mountains Amateur Radio Club.
In the on air interview, Brian explained that amateur (or ham) operators experiment with various forms of radio communications. At the age of 14 years, Brian obtained his amateur radio license, by studying some basic electronics and radio law or regulations. By using ham radio, Brian can communication with other amateur radio friends locally, across Australia and internationally.
Todays amateur radio equipment is much smaller and has many more features that the old valve radio equipment of years ago. Brian explained to 702 listeners that amateur radio operators also provide a valuable communication network in emergency or disasters.
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Membership to SGARS
Membership is open to the St George Amateur Radio Society.
Current Membership application forms are available on line by clicking here. If you do not have someone to nominate you, please submit the form anyway and we will try and find someone.
Membership fees are $25.00 for working members, $20.00 for non working member. Joining fee of $5.00.
Membership Application Forms can be sent either by;
- in person to the Secretary at one of our regular gatherings,
- email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.,
- mail to PO Box 530 Engadine NSW 2233
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Contests and Field Days
Amateur Radio Contest and Field Days
What is a Contest ?
Contests are a popular part of the amateur radio and gives you an opportunity to practice and develop your operating skills and techniques, and to see how well your station is performing. Also contest get plenty of stations on the air and to increase the opportunities for making contacts.
What is a Field Day ?
A Field Day is a contest especially for portable stations, operating from a good location such as a hilltop or quiet location away from RF noise. Often operators camp out overnight. Apart from having fun, Field Days are a great way to check out your equipment in the field and to experiment with light weight, easily transportable equipment and antennas.
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