Received via email this response regarding my reception of RAF VOLMET.

Our next planned stop on our journey to Renmark on Thursday 26th October 2023, was the town of Karoonda, about 146 km east of Adelaide in the Mallee region of South Australia.

Above:- Map showing the location of Karoonda. Map c/o Google Maps.

On our way to Karoonda we logged Gerard VK2IO was activating Mildura I14 Bushland Reserve VKFF-4137. Signal reports were 5/9 both ways.

Karoonda is a Ngarkat aboriginal word meaning ‘winter camp’. Prior to European occupation, the area was inhabited by the Ngarkat aboriginal people. The town of Karoonda was founded during the early 1900s due to wheat growing in the region. The town was served in 1910, but was not proclaimed until the 11th day of December 1913. In 1922 the District Council of Karoonda was established.

Above:- proclamation of the town of Karoonda in the SA Govt Gazette. Image c/o Wikipedia.

Prior to the establishment of the town, land in the Mallee region of South Australia was taken up for sheep grazing on large pastoral leases during the 1850s. This included Chucka Bend (Bowhill) Station which was established in 1859. The station included where Karoonda is located today.

The Karoonda region is an important wheat and sheep production area. Each year the Karoonda Farm Fair is held, a two-day event attracting over 10,000 visitors to the town.

The video below gives you a good impression of the town of Karoonda.

Karoonda also has its own Pioneer Park which can be found in East Terrace. The park contains a collection of early Mallee memorabilia including buildings, railway information, and farming machinery.

A memorial to Senior Constable Harold Rae Pannell can be found in the park in the main street. Senior Constable Pannell was shot dead by John Fischer in March 1957, at Bow Hill, whilst executing a warrant to seize property from Fishcer who had failed to pay damages awarded against him in a court case. Fischer was found not guilty of murder in the Supreme Court on the grounds of insanity. Justice Reed ordered Fischer into strict custody in a mental health institution at the Governor’s pleasure. Fischer died in 1988, aged 67 years.

Senior Constable Pannell was buried with full police honours at Centennial Park Cemetery on the 14th day of March 1957. He had served the South Australian community as a police officer for almost 20 years.

Above:- Senior Constable Pannell. Image c/o SA Police Association Facebook page.

In 1997, the Karoonda Development Group constructed a Merino ram sculpture in the park in the main street of Karoonda to commemorate the importance of the Merino sheep industry in the region.

Also in the park in the main street, you can find a monument to commemorate the Karoonda meteorite. The town of Karoonda achieved brief international fame in 1930 when a meteorite fell to earth about 3.6 km east of the town on the 25th day of November 1930. You can view a piece of the actual meteorite at the Council Chambers, which Marija and I have done in the past. The inscription on the case in which the meteorite piece is contained, reads: “On November 25th 1930 South Australians were started by the appearance of a brilliant Fire Ball”.

Following reports of the ‘brilliant fireball’, a University party led by Professor Kerr Grant and Mr G.F. Dodwell, conducted a search of the Karoonda area. On the 9th day of December 1930, some 15 days after the meteorite’s sighting, the meteorite site was located. The meteorite shattered on impact, however the surviving material consisted of two large pieces and several smaller fragments, all up weighing about 92 lbs. It was reported that the Karoonda meteorite was of the Stony Type and was of very unusual composition.

The University reported: “The dark greyish interior of the meteorite consists of a dull ground-mass relieved by numerous black chondrules and spangles of a brassy mineral which is probably troilite (ferrous sulphide). The chondrules are very hard and compact and may quite easily be rubbed away from the friable ground-mass by the fingers. Undoubted metallic nickel-iron is present in such small ammount as to be indistinguishable in the hand specimen. A rough microscopical examination reveals that olivine is by far the most important mineral in the ground-mass. Some hypersthene is also present.”

Above:- Part of an article from the Murray Pioneer, Fri 19 Dec 1930. Image c/o Trove

The Karoonda silo art is the work of renowned Australian artist Heesco. He has painted a number of Australian silos. It took Heesco about 38 days to paint the Karoonda silo, which was completed on the 26th day of July 2019.

At night the silo is lit up by an ever-changing display of art from South Australian artists. The Karoonda silo is the first of its kind in Australia to offer Silo Art by day and Cinema Art by night.

The video below shows the Karoonda silo art in time-lapse.

We parked alongside the silo and surprisingly had very little noise. We operated from the vehicle, running the Icom IC7000, 100 watts, and the Codan 930 antenna mounted on the rear of the Toyota Hi- Lux.

Above:- the activation zone at the Karoonda silo. Image c/o SiOTA website.

Hans qualified the silo, this being his second ever SiOTA activation.

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK5IS
2. VK3GRX
3. VK3WMD
4. VK5HS
5. VK3PWG
6. VK3OAK
7. VK3PF

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK5IS
2. VK3GRX
3. VK3WMD
4. VK5HS
5. VK3PWG
6. VK3OAK
7. VK3PF
8. VK3CJN
9. VK5GY
10. VK2EXA

References.

1. Aussie Towns, 2023, <https://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/karoonda-sa>, viewed 6th November 2023.
2. Australian Silo Art Trail, 2023, <https://www.australiansiloarttrail.com/karoonda>, viewed 6th November 2023.
3. District Council of Karoonda East Murray, 2023, <https://www.dckem.sa.gov.au/discover/community-history>, viewed 6th November 2023.
4. Mallee Touring Route, 2023, <https://www.malleehighway.com.au/html/karoonda.html>, viewed 6th November 2023.
5. Monument Australia, 2023, <https://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/people/crime/display/50966-senior-constable-harold-rae-pannell>, viewed 6th November 2023.
6. Wikipedia, 2023, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karoonda,_South_Australia>, viewed 6th November 2023.

Marija VK5MAZ, Hans VK6XN and I left home at about 8.00 a.m. on Thursday 26th October 2023, en route to Renmark for the 2023 VKFF Team Championship. It was about a 280 km drive up to Tailem Bend, and then on to Karoonda, Loxton, and then Renmark.

Our first stop for the morning was the Strathalbyn bakery where we enjoyed a coffee and a brekkie roll. We then headed towards Tailem Bend.

On the way from the mobile, we logged Liz VK2XSE on 40m who was activating Mount Dundas Regional Reserve VKFF-3375 in Tasmania. Signal reports were 5/9 both ways.

We then logged Peter VK3PF who was activating Benetook Bushland Reserve VKFF-4126. Signal reports were 5/9 both ways.

We then arrived at Tailem Bend and as Hans had never previously activated a silo for the Silos On The Air (SiOTA) program, we decided to stop and do a quick activation from the vehicle.

Tailem Bend is about 96 km southeast of the city of Adelaide. It is located on the lower reaches of the Murray River, not far from the town of Wellington where the Murray River flows into Lake Alexandrina. The Murray is located on the western edge of the town and features magnificent cliffs.

Above:- Map showing the location of Tailem Bend. Map c/o Google Maps.

Prior to European settlement, the Tailem Bend area was inhabited by the Ngarrindjeri aboriginal people. The town’s name is derived from an aboriginal word “thelim” which means “bend”. This refers to the sharp bend that the Murray River makes at Tailem Bend. Other references suggest that this part of the Murray River was called “Thelum Ki”, meaning “bent water”.

In 1884, the building of the railway eastwards to the colony of Victoria commenced. During construction, a track-laying gang set up camp among some native pine trees and they named their site “Pine Camp”. A township commenced from that time on and by 1887 a year after the railway line opened, the ton of Tailem Bend was proclaimed.

Above:- Some early photographs of Tailem Bend. Images c/o State Library South Australia.

Today the major industries in the Tailem Bend area include pig farming, dairying, and growing grains, hay and olives. Tailem Bend is also the home to The Bend Motorsport Park and Old Tailem Town, a pioneer village.

The silos at Tailem Bend are owned by Viterra. The Tailem Bend silos is one of Viterra’s most significant silos in South Australia. In 2014 it was reported by Viterra eastern region operations manager Jack Tansley that “during peak harvest periods the Tailem Bend site receives more than 16,000 tonnes of grain a day and is now in the process of out-turning the grain which includes trains running, on average, every second day from the site with road out-turns occurring daily.”

On the 30th day of November 2020, the Tailem Bend silos broke its daily receival record when 17,475 tonnes of grain was delivered in a single day.

We pulled up on the side of the Princes Highway, within the silo activation zone, and operated from the vehicle. We ran the Icom IC7000, 100 watts, and the Codan 9350 self-tuning antenna.

Above:- Map showing the activation zone at the Tailem Bend silo. Image c/o SiOTA website.

Hans qualified the silo, whilst Marija and I also made a handful of contacts and qualified the silo for SiOTA.

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3PF/p (Benetook Bushland Reserve VKFF-4126)
2. VK2IO/p (Mildura I14 Bushland ReserveVKFF-4137)

Marija worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

1. VK6DS

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3PF/p (Benetook Bushland Reserve VKFF-4126)
2. VK2IO/p (Mildura I14 Bushland ReserveVKFF-4137)

I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

1. VK6DS

We then hit the road again and headed for Karoonda, which was to be our next stop.

References.

1. Murray Valley Standard, 2023, <https://www.murrayvalleystandard.com.au/story/2259474/new-ways-for-busy-tailem-bend-silo/>, viewed 4th November 2023.
2. Murray Valley Standard, 2023, <https://www.murrayvalleystandard.com.au/story/3094164/end-of-line-for-murraylands-mallee-grain-trains/>, viewed 4th November 2023.
3. Murray Bridge News, 2023, <https://www.murraybridge.news/p/records-fall-at-monarto-south-tailem>, viewed 4th November 2023.
4. Wikipedia, 2023, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tailem_Bend,_South_Australia>, viewed 4th November 2023.

The 2023 VKFF National Get-Together was held on Friday 27th October, Saturday 28th, and Sunday 29th October 2023. It was held at Renmark, South Australia.

A total of 27 amateurs attended the event from VK1, VK3, VK5, and VK6.

On Wednesday 25th October, I picked up Hans VK6XN from the Adelaide Airport and then took Hans for a drive around the Fleurieu Peninsula where I live. We called into my local pub, the Greenman Inn and enjoyed a few ales. We then headed back to my little property and showed Hans around, including the radio shack. Marija arrived home from work and that evening we enjoyed some pizza for dinner and then headed back out to the shack where Hans made a number of contacts into the USA on 20m.

On Thursday morning, we left bright and early for Renmark. Our first stop was the Strathalbyn Bakery for a brekkie roll and a coffee.

On the way up to Renmark, we activated a number of silos for the Silos On The Air (SiOTA) program and some parks in Victoria for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program. These were Hans’s first-ever SiOTA activations.

That evening we caught up with Peter VK3PF at the Werrimul Hotel in Victoria for an evening meal.

During the day on Friday, we activated the Cooltong Conservation Park VKFF-0823, and the Murray River National Park VKFF-0372. Marija and I then attended the Hotel Renmark and caught up with Chris VK5FR and inspected the Nanya Function Room and tidied up a few issues for the next day’s presentations.

Chris VK5FR, Hans VK6XN and I then headed out to the Pike River Conservation Park VKFF-0831 for an activation.

The Get Together officially commenced on Friday evening with a meal at the Renmark Club. All of the attendees were issued with their welcome packs at the dinner.

On Saturday there was a series of presentations in the Nanya Function Room at the Hotel Renmark. This included everything from an introduction to VKFF, a fly wire vertical antenna, VK-port-a-log, a home brew half wave antenna matching unit, and snake bite procedures.

There was also a series of presentations to the guest speakers.

Certificates were also presented to the attending VKFF State/Territory reps, Marija VK5MAZ the VKFF Treasurer, and myself. I was very surprised to receive a magnificent basket of chocolates and nuts.

A raffle was also drawn with a total. The sponsors were Ivan VK5HS who offered a boat trip to Bulyong Island (Murray River National Park), Jaycar with a $10.00 voucher and two $50.00 vouchers, Haverford with a 7-metre squid pole, Danny VK5DW from RivComm Radio Solutions with a 100m roll of RG58, and Daryl VK3AWA with various VKFF National Get Together clothing. I very much thank all those who kindly donated a prize. It is greatly appreciated.

On Saturday evening, we enjoyed a beautiful meal in the Nanya Function Room at the Hotel Renmark. The Renmark Paringa Mayor Peter Hunter attended and delivered a presentation after dinner on the Friends of Paringa paddocks group (Murray River National Park) and the recent Riverland floods. Peter’s Friends of the Parks group was presented $200.00 raised from the raffle.

On Sunday morning, the Renmark Radio Club hosted a BBQ breakfast at the Jarret Memorial Gardens in Renmark. The BBQ breakfast was needed to soak up some of the alcohol from the evening before.

A number of amateurs then ventured out into the field to undertake VKFF park activations. Marija VK5MAZ, Hans VK6XN, and I headed to the remote Danggali Conservation Park VKFF-0825 and then to Chowilla Regional Reserve VKFF-1698.

That evening we caught up with a number of amateurs at the Paringa Hotel for an evening meal.

On Monday, Hans, Marija and I headed back into Victoria and undertook some more VKFF park activations and SiOTA activations. We then headed back into Renmark and caught up with a group of amateurs for an evening meal at Ashley’s Restaurant at the Citrus Valley Motel where we were staying.

On Tuesday we left Renmark and headed back to Adelaide to drop off Hans at his motel where he had booked to stay for the evening. We snuck in a VKFF park activation and a SiOTA activation on the way home.

Below are the results for Marija and myself during our time away……..

• 17 x parks – VKFF
• 15 x silos – SiOTA
• 1,024 QSOs
• 230 Park to Park

More information on the 2023 VKFF Activation Weekend can be found at…….

https://www.wwffaustralia.com/2023.html

Whilst I was away at Renmark I received the QSL card below from Radio Thailand, for my reception of their station on 9940 kHz on 10th July 2023.

They also included some stickers.

At 1022 UTC on the 20th day of October 2023 I tuned in to China Radio International broadcasting in the English language on 11905 kHz.

The broadcast was coming from the 500 kW Jinhua transmitter in China.

The overall reception of CRI was excellent. The signal strength was extremely strong.

S	I	N	P	O
5	5	5	5	5

Below is a video showing my reception of CRI.

References.

1. Short Wave Info, 2023, <https://www.short-wave.info/index.php>, viewed 20th October 2023.

At 0959 UTC on the 20th day of October 2023 I tuned in to NHK World JAPAN broadcasting in the Japanese language on 11815 kHz.

The broadcast was coming from the 300 kW Ibaragi-koga-Yamaha transmitter in Japan.

The overall reception was good. There was some slight bleed over interference from the Voice of America broadcasting on 11825 in the Chinese language

S	I	N	P	O
4	4	4	4	4

Below is a video showing my reception of NHK World.

References.

1. Short Wave Info, 2023, <https://www.short-wave.info/index.php>, viewed 20th October 2023.

Our fourth and final park for the 2023 VKFF Team Championship on Saturday 21st October 2023, was the Cox Scrub Conservation Park VKFF-0824.

Above:- Map showing the location of the Cox Scrub CP. Map c/o Google Maps.

Marija and I have activated Cox Scrub many times in the past. This time we decided to activate from a different position in the park. We drove along Ridge Road towards the northwestern corner of the park. There were some terrific views of the surrounding countryside from Ridge Road.

Cox Scrub Conservation Park is about 563 hectares in size and is one of the largest parks on the Fleurieu Peninsula south of Adelaide. The park is bordered by Bull Creek Road to the east, and Rymill Road to the west. Cleared farming land can be found to the south and north.

The park was proclaimed on the 5th day of March 1970 as the Cox’s Scrub National Park. Prior to this, the park was owned by Mr V. Cox, an apiarist of Ashbourne> He preserved the park in is natural state for the bees which he bred. On the 27th day of April 1972, it was reconstituted as the Cox Scrub Conservation Park. Additional areas were added to the park in 1977, 1982, 1984, 1986, and 2018.

In 1983 the park was destroyed during the Ash Wednesday Bushfires.

Birds SA have recorded 152 different bird species in the park including  Superb Fairywren, Red-browed Finch, Galah, New Holland Honeyeater, White-browed Scrubwren, and Red Wattlebird.

We operated from just inside gate 5 near the intersection of Varanus Tack and Boronia Track. Our operating equipment was the Yaesu FT857, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole.

We made a total of 43 QSOs. Unfortunately, we were running short of time and needed to be at our son’s house for dinner and to drop off some tickets for the Bay to Birdwood Car Rally.

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK5CZ/m
2. VK3VIN
3. VK3PF
4. VK1CHW
5. VK2IO/m
6. VK5HS
7. VK7AAE
8. VK1AO
9. VK2MET
10. VK5LKJ
11. VK3UAO
12. VK3SMW
13. VK3SO

Marija worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

1. IK4IDF
2. DK4RM

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK5CZ/m
2. VK3VIN
3. VK3PF
4. VK1CHW
5. VK2IO/m
6. VK5HS
7. VK7AAE
8. VK1AO
9. VK2MET
10. VK5LKJ
11. VK3UAO
12. VK3SMW
13. VK3SO
14. VK4SMA

I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

1. VK6AKT
2. F1BLL
3. ZL1TPE
4. VK6JK
5. VK1AO
6. VK2MET
7. VK6HDY/2
8. ON4ON
9. VK4JM
10. KD1CT
11. IK4IDF
12. IW2BNA
13. DK4RM
14. OH1MM

References.

1. Birds SA, 2023, <https://birdssa.asn.au/location/cox-scrub-conservation-park/>, viewed 21st October 2023.
2. National Parks and Wildlife Service, 2023, <https://www.parks.sa.gov.au/parks/cox-scrub-conservation-park>, viewed 21st October 2023.
3. Wikipedia, 2023, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cox_Scrub_Conservation_Park>, viewed 21st October 2023.