Here are my latest FT8 award certificates for VK5COP.

Thank you to all of the FT8 operators and to the various award managers.

Here are my latest FT8 award certificates for VK5IPA.

Thank you to all of the FT8 operators and to the various award managers.

Last month, I received the certificate below, the VKFF Hunter Honour Roll 2,500. It is issued for hunting 2,500 VKFF references.

Thank you to all of the activators, and thank you to Adam VK2YK, the VK5 VKFF State Rep, for the certificate.

I have been snowed under with other duties, but a few days ago I managed to dedicate some time to finalise the results for the 2025 VKFF Team Championship.

Marija and I were ‘The Walky Talkies.’ We entered the single tx/40m & 80m, wire antenna section and briefly activated the Scott Conservation Park VKFF-0934.

Below are our certificates (designed by yours truly).

Certificates for winners and all participants who took part have been emailed.

Below are some of the QSL cards received in the mail in the past week for VK5COP and VK5IPA.

I saw this little radio on the internet and thought it looked interesting, so I purchased one. It was delivered very promptly and I tried it out last night on the AM band using the provided short telescopic whip. I was pleasantly surprised.

Over the coming weeks I will try it out on SW, AM and the amateur radio bands.

More info on the radio can be found at…..https://atsmini.github.io/

Here are my latest FT4 and FT8 award certificates for VK5IPA.

Here are my latest FT8 certificates for VK5COP.

Our final activation for Tuesday, the 5th day of May 2026, was solely for the purpose of obtaining a Park-to-Park contact with Peter, VK3PF. Chris and I pulled into the Piangil West Bushland Reserve VKFF-5714, which we had activated on our way over to Albury.

Chris and I made contact with Peter VK3PF, who was activating VKFF-4736, and then made a Park to Park contact with Gerard VK2IO, who was activating VKFF-3599.

Above: Map showing the location of the Piangil West Bushland Reserve. Map c/o Google Maps

I made the following QSOs:-

1. VK3PF/P (VKFF-4736 & VK-WHH3)
2. VK2IO/P (VKFF-3599)
3. VK2GEZ/P (VKFF-3599)

We then continued west towards home, and we crossed over the Victorian & South Australian State border. We stopped at the fruit fly roadblock at Pinnaroo and continued along the Mallee Highway to Tailem Bend. Rather than continuing along the Princes Highway to Murray Bridge, we headed down to Wellington and crossed over the ferry on the Murray River.

The Wellington ferry is a free 24/7 cable ferry that crosses the Murray River.

Wellington is located just upstream of where the Murray River empties into Lake Alexandrina. The European colonists who settled in the Wellington area compared the development opportunities of Wellington to those of New Orleans due to its geographical similarities. (Wikipedia 2021)

By 1839, the town of Wellington had become one of the most important settlements on the Murray River in the colony of South Australia. Following the establishment of a ferry, it was the only point where traffic could cross over the Murray River. (Bridge 2023)

The former Wellington police station and courthouse was built in 1864. It was formerly a museum, and now serves as accommodation and venue hire.

In the park alongside the old courthouse, you can view the original bell that was used to summon the ferry.

Wellington was located on the Gold Escort route, where gold from the Victorian goldfields was escorted by South Australian Police. You can find a monument here to commemorate the Gold Escort route.

There is also a monument co commemorate the explorer Captain Charles Sturt who passed here in February 1830.

We continued on to home. It had been a great week away with Chris. I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

References.

1. Bridge, R.C. of M. (2023). Murray Bridge Council. [online] Murray Bridge Council. Available at: https://www.murraybridge.sa.gov.au. [Accessed 15 May 2026]‌
2. Wikipedia. (2021). Wellington. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellington. [Accessed 15 May 2026]‌

Our next quick stop for Tuesday, the 5th day of May 2026, was the Manangatang Bushland Reserve VKFF-5428 and the Manangatang silo VK-MNG3.

Above: the location of the Manangatang Bushland Reserve. Image c/o Google Earth

We stopped briefly at Manangatang for breakfast and ventured over the road to the park while we enjoyed our coffee and a bacon & egg roll.  Manangatang is derived from an Aboriginal term “manang” meaning land and “kaaiti” meaning water. (Wikipedia 2025)

The reserve comprises four separate sections of remnant mallee scrub, located on the eastern and northern side of the town.

Above: the boundaries of the Manangatang Bushland Reserve. Image c/o Google Earth

The reserve is about 9.4 hectares in size and was established on the 8th day of May 1990. (Dcceew.gov.au 2023)

The Manangatang silos are located alongside the Robinvale railway line, between Sport Street and Wattle Street.

Chris and I accessed the park via Sport Street and set up within the activation zone of the silos.

Above: the activation zone at the Manangatang silos. Image c/o SiOTA website

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3PF (VKFF-4736 & VK-WHH3)
2. VK5PL
3. VK2VW
4. VK2HFI
5. VK2AKA
6. VK2BUG
7. VK2IO/P (VKFF-3599)
8. VK2GEZ/P (VKFF-3599)
9. VK3WSG
10. VK3BRT
11. VK3FTX
12. VK3CEO
13. VK5LRB
14. VK3ZSC
15. VK3BSC

References.

1. Dcceew.gov.au. (2023). Collaborative Australian Protected Areas Database (CAPAD) 2022 – DCCEEW. [online] Available at: https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/land/nrs/science/capad/2022. [Accessed 14 May. 2026]‌
2. Wikipedia Contributors (2025). Manangatang. Wikipedia.‌