Simon Templar

Uncategorized

Band Police BULLSHIT

I have been accused of being the Band Police by a radio Amateur who has confessed to deliberately keying up repeaters incessantly to cause aggravation to myself and others late at night. Well now that this Amateur has admitted to deliberately causing QRM and said he will continue to do

Uncategorized

Node Remote for Allstar

An easy way to control your Allstar Node on your Android or iPhone. Android iPhone Node Remote for AllStar Link - YouTube

Uncategorized

Amateur Radio Victoria and the VK Repeater Link System

Many of the repeaters on the VK Repeater Link System are licensed to and financed by Amateur Radio Victoria although maintained by Tim, VK3TIM aka The Doctor. If you are a regular user of the VK Repeater Link System then please consider joining Amateur Radio Victoria for only $40 for

Uncategorized

ST KILDA Allstar Node on 439.150 MHz and the VK Repeater Link System

Operating in the St Kilda area on 439.150 MHz and 88.5 Hz tone with the antenna on the roof of my house, installation thanks to Graham VK3FTEC. The Node is part of the VK Repeater Link System and available for use for anyone in range. The Discone antenna

Uncategorized

VK3XEM-13 WX Station

VK3XEM-13 is my WX Station operating in St Kilda, can be viewed on aprs.fi and can be seen via APRS on 145.175 MHz. Just for Fun! My VK3XEM - IMELBO5004 Weather Underground page is also available online.

Uncategorized

Setting up ntfy.sh for the DAPNET gateway by M7TLB

Setting up the ntfy.sh side of the gateway can be a little confusing so I will try to step through it here. First create a ntfy.sh account with your callsign. This will become part of your endpoint in the script on the hotspot. Next install the ntfy app

Uncategorized

APRS SMS Gateway for Australia by NA7Q

After testing with Michael NA7Q I am pleased to announce that his APRS SMS gateway is now operational for VK Amateurs. Sending Messages from APRS to SMS To send a message from APRS to SMS using the following format: @<number> <message> The @ symbol is followed by

Uncategorized

DAPNET-ntfygateway by Dave M7TLB

DAPNET is the Decentralized Amateur Paging Network that allows Amateur radio operators to send pager messages to each other. These messages are usually sent via MMDVM hotspots and therefore only cover the operator's shack. But with the dapnet-ntfygateway these messages can be pushed to your mobile or

Uncategorized

Weekday Welfare Net

The Weekday Welfare Net is going strong on the VK Linked Repeater Network, Monday to Friday at 1000 local or 2300 UTC. Erwin VK3EAN will be your Net Controller on Monday's and myself, Simon VK3XEM will be the Net Controller the rest of the week unless I have

Uncategorized

The end is nigh

With licensed Amateurs like Mark Kennedy VK3VBQ sprouting deliberate BULLSHIT on social media that there will be no "amature" licence required is contributing to the death of the hobby. Mark is in effect telling his CB buddies that they can operate on AMATEUR Radio with impunity. Mark is

Uncategorized

ACMA Deliberately issuing inaccurate and Fraudulent invoices.

Today the Commonwealth Ombudsman commenced an investigation into the ACMA issuing 12 month invoices for services that will only be in effect for a matter of weeks. The ACMA has know for well over 12 months that a transition of Amateur Apparatus licenses to class licences would come into effect

Uncategorized

ACMA has dumped Amateur Radio and it is going to get nasty

Thanks to Jacob Wood for his gutless and inept response to deliberate interference. I now encourage the vigilante defence of the Amateur bands. Name and shame these arseholes and even pay them a visit and take them off the air because the hobby is doomed if it is not defended.

Uncategorized

VK3RES Closure

VK3RES is being shut down this weekend due to several factors, including criminal damage at the site by another Amateur Radio Operator and the need to relocate. If a secure site can be sought it may return, but thanks to the individual Amateur that took it upon himself to attack

Uncategorized

vk44.net a free service for Australian Hams

Are you running an Allstar node or MMDVM hotspot, repeater or other ham related device that is on an LTE service or Starlink that are hiding behind a NAT and having trouble or would like to remotely access from anywhere? If so vk44.net may well be for you. This

Uncategorized

Own what you say

One of my core values is standing by what you believe in and say, that includes identifying yourself when you say something. As Amateur Radio Operators on air we have a legal obligation to identify ourselves and at the very least it is a moral obligation elsewhere and common courtesy.

Uncategorized

VK3XEM-13 APRS Weather Station

The VK3XEM-13 APRS weather station is back on air and can also be viewed via Weather Underground. Transmitting locally via APRS in from Reservoir and on the Internet.

Uncategorized

Another Gutless anonymous post rejected

Robert K, or whoever you are go right ahead and report to ACMA maybe then you will have to identify yourself rather than hiding behind your keyboard in your cyber undies. Again if you Identified yourself you would have had a say here but you are too scared.

Uncategorized

Update on the Ballarat PIRATE

The Ballarat PIRATE that is being protected by Ben VK3NRD and other members of the Ballarat Amateur Radio Group. This PIRATE has been heard on the input of VK3RBU by several Amateurs with strong signals in the Ballarat area and he has tried using many callsigns.

Uncategorized

What can you listen to on a scanner today?

Here in Melbourne Victoria there are still many interesting things to listen to on a scanner, even though Victoria Police and Ambulance Victoria in Metro Melbourne are now encrypted. I personally listen to Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV), Country Fire Authority (CFA) and the Victoria State Emergency Service (SES). But depending

Uncategorized

People with Static IP addresses shouldn't make false statements 203.214.132.17

Anonymous Posts from FAKE email addresses will not be published on this site. If you do NOT have the balls to identify yourself you can post elsewhere, like your BARG Facebook Page. But to reply to your BULLSHIT accusations that the offender was in Melbourne and close to me as

Uncategorized

Policy on publication of replies.

Replies with FAKE email addresses will not be published on this site, if you do NOT have the balls to identify your Amateur Callsign when making false claims you will not be heard here. The evidence clearly shows on the 50522 VK3RBA Allstar hub that the PIRATE entered the VK

Uncategorized

Ballarat Amateur Radio Group encouraging, enabling and PROTECTING PRIRATES

The Ballarat Amateur Radio Group has an ongoing history of encouraging, enabling and protecting PIRATES on the Amateur bands. Today a PIRATE was repetitively asking for a radio check on VK3RBU without a callsign. Eventually he gave the callsign VK3JPM stating that he was in Central Ballarat. Comparing the ACMA

Uncategorized

PMR446 Band in Australia

I would like to propose a controversial use for the European PMR446 Band of Channels here in Australia. If the ACMA were to agree to the use of the band here they could be used by both Amateurs and Non-Amateurs to liaise with each other for educational purposes and

Uncategorized

Who likes Nets?

On the VK Repeater Linked System there are many nets each week to participate in. The first is my Weekday Welfare Net that I run Monday to Friday at 10am Australian Eastern Standard Time or 0000 UTC. This Net is primarily to check in with Amateurs and their families that

Uncategorized

Let's all work together

Helping new people to the hobby of radio, be it CB or Amateur Radio should be done in a friendly and positive way to ensure that these new commers to the hobby learn what is correct and right. Maintaining a standard of operating ethics within the hobby is vitally important