A new radio, a park activation, and a club meeting

Posted on by

On Wednesday, 9th July 2025, I headed down to the city to pick up a Yaesu FRG7 communications receiver. This is the second one in my collection, and this particular model came from the USA and does not have the fine-tuneknob. The Yaesu FRG7 was produced from 1976 to 1980 and retailed in Australia back in those days at around the $300.00 mark.

Below is some video of the FRG7 in action later that night.

I then headed back up the hill and had a bit of time to fill in before a radio club meeting, so I quickly activated the Totness Conservation Park VKFF-1754. It was just a quick activation due to rain.

I made the following contacts on 40m SSB:-

  1. VK3SQ
  2. VK3JT
  3. VK2BD
  4. VK3TKK/p (VFF-5132)
  5. VK2VW
  6. VK2HFI
  7. VK2AKA
  8. VK2BUG
  9. VK3APJ
  10. VK2EXA
  11. VK5FANA
  12. VK3PF/m
  13. VK3KAI/m
  14. VK3SMW
  15. VK3MGM
  16. VK3ACZ
  17. VK3SPG

I made the following contacts on 20m SSB:-

  1. VK2IO
  2. VK2GEZ
  3. VK1AO
  4. VK2MET
  5. VK7AAE
  6. VK4EMP
  7. VK4TI
  8. VK4GKO
  9. VK2USH
  10. ZL1GA
  11. VK2VW
  12. VK2HFI
  13. VK2AKA
  14. VK2BUG
  15. VK4CCW

I then drove the very short distance to Lofty Community Radio 5LCM, and met up with other members of the Strathalbyn Amateur Radio Group. One of our members, Peter VK5PET, had organised a tour of the community radio station.

Kimberley was our tour guide. She runs the Breakfast in the Hills program each weekday. It was an extremely interesting visit. Thanks to Kimberley and thanks to Peter for organising.

Following our radio station visit, we headed to a cafe in Mount Barker where we enjoyed coffee and cake.

What a great day.

EA2DNO

Posted on by

Recently, Marija and I were very pleased to receive an email from Iratxe EA2DNO in Spain. She sent us an email to let us know that our QSL cards had arrived safely. We work Iratxe regularly whilst she is activating summits for the Summits On The Air (SOTA) program.

VI8POL – National Police Week 2025

Posted on by

As part of the 8th National Police Week in Australia, I will be on air as VI8POL from Saturday, 13th September, through until Monday, 29th September 2025.

National Police Week is a celebration of our nation’s police. It is a time to pause to honour the 826 Australian police officers whose lives have been lost while performing their duty. It is also a time to remember police officers who have lost their lives through illness or other circumstances.

Sadly, in the past few weeks, another Australian police officer paid the ultimate price protecting the community. Constable Keith Smith was shot and killed in Tasmania whilst executing a court-issued warrant.

I will add a QRZ.com page soon.

Vatican Radio – 11815 kHz

Posted on by

At about 0625 UTC on Wednesday, the 22nd day of June 2025, I tuned in to Vatican Radio, broadcasting on 11815 kHz in the Ukrainian language.

The signal was coming from the 250 kW transmitter in Santa Maria di Galeria. (Short Wave Info 2024)

Above:- Map showing the location of the Vatican. Image c/o Wikipedia.

The overall reception of Vatican Radio was good.

SINPO
44444

My equipment:-

  • Yaesu FTdx101MP
  • dipole antenna

Below is a short video showing my reception of Vatican Radio.

References.

  1. Shortwaveschedule.com. (2024). ShortwaveSchedule.com. [online] Available at: https://shortwaveschedule.com/‌ [Accessed 22 Jun. 2025].‌
  2. Short-wave.info. (2023). Short-Wave Radio Frequency Schedule. [online] Available at: http://www.short-wave.info/index.php [Accessed 22 Jun. 2025].