Here are my latest FT8 award certificates.

Marija and I have returned from our trip to Victoria to attend the Avalon Air Show.

Whilst we were away we activated a number of parks, silos, and a summit.

STATS.

• 1,399 QSOs
• 22 parks (WWFF)
• 1 summit (SOTA)
• 15 silos (SiOTA)

PARKS, SUMMITS, & SILOS ACTIVATED.

Tintinara silo VK-TNA5

• 19 QSOs

Lillimur silo VK-LLR3

• 21 QSOs

Miram silo VK-MRM3

• 21 QSOs

Jumping Jack Wattle Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2120

• 24 QSOs
• 2 Park to Park

Tarranginnie silo VK-TRE3

• 11 QSOs

Nhill Swamp Wildlife Reserve VKFF-2412

• 46 QSOs

Deep Lead Nature Conservation Reserve No. 2 VKFF-2078

• 67 QSOs

Rossbridge Wildlife Reserve VKFF-2429

• 33 QSOs

Tatyoon silo VK-TTN3

• 8 QSOs

Salt Lake Wongon Wildlife Reserve VKFF-2433

• 36 QSOs

Skipton silo VK-SKN3

• 14 QSOs

Linton Flora & Fauna Reserve VKFF-2370

• 38 QSOs

Mount Erip Flora Reserve VKFF-2397

• 41 QSOs

Port Arlington (Point Richards) Flora Reserve VKFF-2423

• 55 QSOs

Salt Lagoon St Leonards Wildlife Reserve VKFF-2432

• 62 QSOs

Swan Bay-Edwards Point Wildlife Reserve VKFF-2444

• 56 QSOs
• 2 Park to Park

Port Phillip Heads Marine Park VKFF-0954

• 69 QSOs

The Spit Wildlife Reserve VKFF-2452

• 68 QSOs
• 2 Park to Park

Little River silo VK-LRA3

• 21 QSOs

Lara silo VK-LRR3

• 22 QSOs

Breamlea Flora & Fauna Reserve VKFF-2276

• 76 QSOs

Teesdale Flora Reserve VKFF-2206

• 27 QSOs

Mount Mercer Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2154

• 32 QSOs
• 2 Park to Park

Warrambine Flora Reserve VKFF-2479

• 33 QSOs

Cordinhap Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2070

• 23 QSOs

Commeralghip Flora Reserve VKFF-2296

• 63 QSOs
• 1 Park to Park

Illabrook Rail Line Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2110

• 56 QSOs
• 2 Park to Park

Illabrook Grassland Flora Reserve VKFF-2335

• 58 QSOs

One Tree Hill VK3/ VS-9036 & Ararat Hills Regional Park VKFF-0958

• 61 QSOs

Remlaw silo VK-RMW3

• 21 QSOs

Walmer South silo VK-WLR3

• 21 QSOs

Natimuk silo VK-NTK3

• 20 QSOs

Arapiles silo VK-ARS3

• 18 QSOs

Mount Araplies-Tooan State Park VKFF-0765

• 41 QSOs

Nurcoung Flora Reserve VKFF-2417

• 61 QSOs

Mitre silo VK-MTE3

• 19 QSOs

Gymbowen silo VK-GYN3

• 16 QSOs

Goroke silo VK-GRE3

• 21 QSOs

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE who called us.

Here are some more FT8 award certificates received in the past couple of days.

QSL card received from Radio Taiwan International for the reception of their station on 17th Dec 2022 on 12065 kHz.

I was a ‘late starter’ to the FT8 mode. I only made my first FT8 contact on the 13th day of January this year (2023).

Since then I have made a total of (as I type this blog) 2,064 QSOs into 108 different DXCC entities.

The map below shows my FT8 contacts around the world.

DXCC worked on FT8

Below is a list of the DXCC entities I have worked on FT8

1. Algeria
2. Andorra
3. Antarctica
4. Argentina
5. Asiatic Russia
6. Australia
7. Austria
8. Azores
9. Bahrain
10. Belarus
11. Belgium
12. Belize
13. Bolivia
14. Bosnia-Herzegovina
15. Brazil
16. Bulgaria
17. Canada
18. Canary Islands
19. Chile
20. China
21. Cocos Keeling Islands
22. Colombia
23. Corsica
24. Crete
25. Croatia
26. Crozet Island
27. Cuba
28. Czech Republic
29. Denmark
30. Dominica
31. Dominican Republic
32. East Malaysia
33. Ecuador
34. England
35. Estonia
36. European Russia
37. Federal Republic of Germany
38. Fiji
39. Finland
40. France
41. Gibraltar
42. Greece
43. Guadeloupe
44. Guam
45. Guernsey
46. Haiti
47. Hawaii
48. Honduras
49. Hong Kong
50. Hungary
51. India
52. Indonesia
53. Ireland
54. Israel
55. Italy
56. Japan
57. Jersey
58. Kaliningrad
59. Kazakhstan
60. Kenya
61. Kuwait
62. Latvia
63. Lebanon
64. Lithuania
65. Luxumbourg
66. Madeira Islands
67. Mexico
68. Moldova
69. Motenegro
70. Netherlands
71. New Caledonia
72. New Zealand
73. Northern Ireland
74. Norway
75. Oman
76. Pakistan
77. Panama
78. Peru
79. Philippines
80. Poland
81. Portugal
82. Puerto Rico
83. Republic of Korea
84. Reunion Island
85. Romania
86. Sardinia
87. Scotland
88. Serbia
89. Singapore
90. Slovak Republic
91. Slovenia
92. South Africa
93. Spain
94. Sri Lanka
95. Sweden
96. Switzerland
97. Taiwan
98. Thailand
99. Trinidad & Tobago
100. Turkey
101. Ukraine
102. United Arab Emirates
103. United States of America
104. Uruguay
105. Venezuela
106. Vietnam
107. Wales
108. West Malaysia

Bands worked on FT8.

The majority of my contacts have been on the 20m band (619), followed by 40m (495) and closely following in third position is 15m (485). The graph below shows the number of FT8 contacts I have made per band.

Top 10 DXCC worked.

As far as countries (DXCC) worked, the majority has been with Japan (562), followed by USA (460), and then Indonesia _130). The graph below shows the Top 10 countries worked and the number of QSOs made into that country

Thank you.

I am having a lot of fun on FT8.

I would like to thank the following people who have either help me set up FT8, or have provided assistance re Ultimate AAC (software) re FT8 awards:

1. John VK5BJE
2. Peter VK3ZPF
3. Ian VK1DI
4. Keith VK2PKT

Last week I was the successful bidder for the Clipsal CW key below in a local online auction.

The key was made in c. 1944 by Gerard & Goodman Ltd of Adelaide. Clipsal Morse Keys, as they were known. were manufactured during World War II for the Defence Forces. The manufacture of the keys continued after the war and they became popular with amateur radio operators.

Below is a great video about the key.

Alfred Edward Gerard was born in 1877 in Aberdeen, Burra, South Australia. After completing his education in Burra, he commenced employment with a local coach builder. Gerard then worked for Edwin Davey and Sons, who were flour millers. He was employed there as an engineer and manager of the company’s electric lighting plant.

In 1902 Gerard married Elsie Goodman.

Above:- Alfred Edward Gerard. Image c/o SA Museum.

In 1907 Gerard obtained a £100 from his father-in-law William Goodman and he established a contracting business from his rented home at Prospect. His business soon employed five people and he moved the business from his home to the basement of Super Elliott’s bicycle shop at 200 Rundle Street East, Adelaide. On the 3rd day of August 1908 the company name ‘Gerard & Goodman’ was registered.

In 1909 Gerard founded the South Australian Electrical Importers & Suppliers Association, which was later known as the Electrical Wholesalers Association.

In 1910 the business moved to rented premises in Twin Street, Adelaide. Soon after the business moved to 100 Pirie Street, Adelaide, and then expanded to the shop next door at 102 Pirie Street.

Above:- Article from the Daily Herald, Adelaide, Tues 15 Sep 1914. Image c/o Trove.

In 1920 Gerard & Goodman commenced making a clip-on metal conduit fitting which was abbreviated to ‘Clipsal’ due to the product’s ability to ‘clip to all sizes’. The name Clipsal has now become a household South Australian name.

In 1921 Gerard purchased land in Synagogue Place, Adelaide which was the company’s first freehold property. Showrooms, offices and a factory were built on the site. It commenced as a two-storey building and was extended many times. The main entrance was in Synagogue Place, while access to the bulk store was at the rear entrance in Tavistock Street.

Above:- The Gerard and Goodman Ltd premises at Synagogue Place, c. 1928. Image c/o State Library SA.

I found the video below which is a walk-through of the old Synagogue Place premise.

The business continued to grow, and Gerard purchased a shop at 132 Rundle Street, Adelaide as an electrical and radio and retail business.

In 1932 the company Gerard Ltd was registered.

Above:- Article from The News, Adelaide, Sat 8 Oct 1932. Image c/o Trove.

In 1936, Gerard & Goodman moved its operations to Bowden.

Above:- Gerard Electric premises at Bowden. Image c/o Clipsal.com

In March 1938, CH Martin Ltd, Adelaide, was contracted to build a sop and offices for Gerard and Goodman at 192-196 Rundle Street, Adelaide. The building had an internal connection to the warehouse in Synagogue Place, which it abuts.

Television was first displayed in South Australia in the Gerard & Goodman shopfront window in Rundle Street between the 30th day of May 1949 to the 2nd day of June 1949. It is reported that this drew large crowds. It would not be until a further ten years that permanent TV broadcasting was brought to Adelaide.

Above:- the Gerard & Goodman store in Rundle Street, 1969. Image c/o State Library SA.

Other than his running of the electrical business, Gerard was also devoted to the welfare of aboriginal children. In 1929, he established the United Aborigines Mission (UAM). He was also a lay preacher and a member of the Prospect Masonic Lodge. He authored a book entitled Ears of Corn.

In 1945 Gerard financed the purchase of a 5,800-acre property at Winkie in the Riverland region of South Australia. It is now known as the Gerard Aboriginal Community in his honour.

Gerard died on the 13th day of October 1950, aged 73 years, at his home at Prospect. He is buried at the Payneham cemetery.

Gerard & Goodman continued to trade in Rundle Street until the 1970s.

In 2003 the Gerard family sold its interest in the Clipsal business to Schneider Electric.

In March 2017, the Gerard & Goodman building in Synagogue Place was demolished and replaced with new student accommodation.

Above:- An aerial view showing the old Gerard & Goodman building in Rundle St & the warehouse in Synagogue Place. Image c/o Google maps.

References.

1. Adelaide City Explorer, 2023, <https://adelaidecityexplorer.com.au/items/show/193>, viewed 24th February 2023.
2. Autopsy of Adelaide, 2023, <https://autopsyofadelaide.com/2017/03/30/urban-exploration-gerard-goodman-building-adelaide/>, viewed 24th February 2023.
3. City of Adelaide Heritage Survey, 2008
4. Radiomuseum, 2023, <https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/gerard_clipsal_morse_key_cat_no_610_2_terminal_key.html>, viewed 24th February 2023.
5. SA History Hub, 2023, <https://sahistoryhub.history.sa.gov.au/people/alfred-edward-gerard>, viewed 24th February 2023.
6. SA Museum, 2023, <https://www.samuseum.sa.gov.au/collection/archives/provenances/aa841>, viewed 24th February 2023.
7. Wikipedia, 2023, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._E._Gerard>, viewed 24th February 2023.

QSL card received in the mail from Radio Prague International for the reception of their station on 10th October 2022, on 5010 kHz.

I’ve received a few more FT8 award certificates.

About 5 weeks ago I became set up for the digital mode FT8. Thanks to John VK5BJE for his assistance.

I joined the FT8 Digital Modes Club and I uploaded my log to Ultimate AAC, and I could not believe the number of award certificates that were sitting there waiting for me.

Thanks to Ian VK1DI and Keith VK2PKT for their guidance regarding UAAC.

After leaving the Minlacowie Conservation Park (Monday 6th February 2023), we drove down to the town of Yorketown. We need to purchase some bottles of red wine for our trip to Troubridge Island.

Prior to European settlement, the aboriginal people called the area around Yorketown, karinja – kari meaning ‘emu’ and nja – ‘place’. The original plan of the town shows Yorke Town, but it was advertised as ‘The Town of Yorke’, taking its name from Yorke Peninsula.

Whilst in Yorketown we visited the water tower mural which was painted by Jasmine Crisp in March 2021. The work took Crip a total of 37 days to complete. The mural includes the Royal Flying Doctor Service, canola crops, the pink lake and historic buildings. 

We then headed for Port Giles to activate the silo for the Silos On The Air (SiOTA) program.

Port Giles was named after Thomas Giles (b. 1820. d. 1899), a partner with George Anstey in the Penton Vale sheep station. Giles was the third of 15 sons and 6 daughters of William Giles, the Colonial Manager of the South Australian Company.

Above:- Thomas Giles. Image c/o Wikipedia.

In 1967, construction of a deep sea jetty commenced at Port Giles and on the 23rd day of May 1970 was opened by the South Australian Premier, Hon. Steele Hall. The opening of the jetty and the large grains storage facility led to the closure of many of the smaller ports on the Yorke Peninsula.

Above:- Former SA Premier Steele Hall. Image c/o Wikipedia.

Port Giles was specifically constructed to be able to handle bulk grain and load it onto larger modern ships. Port Giles can handle Panamax-size ships or larger. Panamax is a term for the size limit of ships travelling through the Panama Canal. Many of the other Yorke Peninsula ports were not deep enough for larger ships, and they could only be serviced by small sketches and coastal steamships and could only handle grain in bags and not in bulk.

We operated from the 4WD on Hickey Drive, a short distance from the silos. We ran the Icom IC-7000, 100 watts, and the Codan antenna for this activation.

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK1CHW/p (Black Mountain Nature Reserve VKFF-0834 & SOTA VK1/ AC-042)
2. VK5MOS
3. VK3PF
4. VK5FANA
5. VK5BJE

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK1CHW/p (Black Mountain Nature Reserve VKFF-0834 & SOTA VK1/ AC-042)
2. VK5MOS
3. VK3PF
4. VK5FANA
5. VK5BJE
6. VK5HS
7. VK5FR
8. VK2YK
9. VK5GA
10. VK5LA
11. VK3LVH
12. VK2RO
13. VK5CZ
14. VK2NP
15. VK5GY
16. VK3GJG
17. VK5TN
18. VK3SMW
19. VK2IO

It was time for us to head back to Stansbury, where that night we met up with Ivan VK5HS, Andy VK5LA, Adam VK2YK, and Chris VK5TR, our other team members of VK5TIL and the Troubridge Island trip. We had a great night out and a meal at the Stansbury Hotel.

References.

1. A Compendium of the Place Names of South Australia, 2023, <https://published.collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/placenamesofsouthaustralia/>, viewed 23rd February 2023.
2. Australian Silo Art Trail, 2023, <https://www.australiansiloarttrail.com/yorketown>, viewed 23rd February 2023.
3. Wikipedia, 2023, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Giles_(pastoralist)>, viewed 23rd February 2023.
4. Wikipedia, 2023, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Giles,_South_Australia>, viewed 23rd February 2023.
5. Wikipedia, 2023, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panamax>, viewed 23rd February 2023.