PI-Star for MMDVM hotspot update

 current versions of Pi-Star for MMVDVM  is  4.1.4 and Dashboard is 20210517

WIA Winter VHF UHF Field Day Contest - 26-27 June 2021

  the next WIA VHF UHF Field Day Contest is coming up on Sat 26th to Sun 27th June 2021,  it's  24hour contest, as usual, to encourage portable operation as a field day contest.

Addendum:  I corrected the date, it was published earlier  as 19th and 20th June

visit to REAST club site, Queens Domain, Hobart, Tasmania

 while driving up to the Queens Domain lookout in Hobart, stumbled onto the REAST club site, and Tas Marine Radio operations site, formerly the Commonwealth coastal Wireless Station site.

Just near this site is the city water reservoir storage, two massive concrete tanks,  up high, you can park near them, you can walk on the roof (thick concrete slab) you could take some portable microwave gear here to work across to sites like Mt.Nelson  to do your 10 GHz  up to  122GHz  contacts, the concrete slab is surrounded by heavy duty railing, so easy to lash up a small  lightweight mast for smallish 2metre yagi, or 70cm yagi., solar panel, battery,  portable operation. Easy done.

visit to Mt.Nelson Signal Station, Hobart, Tasmania

 visited the Mt.Nelson Signal Station,  this was visual signalling, not RF signalling,   it was used for  flag semaphore from Colonial days.  This site was impressive, this would be good for a RF  Field Day Contest site,  I hope the VK7's do use it,  its great for VHF, UHF and SHF, a good clear 180 degree view,  from  west to n.w.. Tasmania , through nth, n.e and  round through to ZL direction.   Although  Mt. Wellington is considerably higher, the unpredictability of the weather for  top of Mt.Wellington makes it too much of a gamble when you want to run a radio contest portable station.  I have a seen a video from Hayden VK7HH up Mt.Wellington getting  blasted with wind and rain, that's not good when trying to work weak signal DX.

We were over at South Arm on a nice clear sunny day and within half an hour we could see this cloud appear then engulf the top of Mt.Wellington, and we also had that happen on the day we went up to top of Mt.Wellington, go from sunny day in Hobart, take 25minute drive to the top and find different weather, being engulfed in low cloud and freezing winds. I got a photo example of it here, showing  top of Mt.Wellington there one minute, gone the next.  

Apart from that, I was impressed  with Tasmania, I would like to go back, but next time take a car loaded with RF gear across on Spirit of Tasmania to do a Field Day Contest  from VK7, that would be good for a bucket list.  The VK7's have a lot of accessible mountain tops, with unobstructed water views back to the mainland, ideal  for radio field day contests. I don't know what is best, go to Hobart work locals , or go somewhere up along the top coast of VK7 to work back to mainland.

Mt.Wellington shrouded in cloud below

visit to Mawson's Hut Replica Museum in Hobart, Tasmania

 visited Mawson's Hut Replica Museum in Hobart city centre,  lots of good stuff to see, including radio equipment , as operated by famous ham radio operator Walter Hannam.  You need a good 2-3 hours (or more)  to really look this place over.

visit to Mt.Pleasant Radio Astronomy Observatory and Grote Reber Museum (Hobart, Tasmania)

 whilst on tour of VK7, stopped in to visit the Mt.Pleasant Radio Astronomy Observatory and Grote Reber Museum, located in suburb of Cambridge, north of Hobart, Tasmania.  Tasmania was the later base for famous ham and radio astronomer  Grote Reber (SK). This radio astronomy site operated  by University of Tasmania.