WIA VHF UHF Winter Field Day Contest 2025

 WIA VHF UHF Winter Field Day Contest 2025, 

here is a snapshot from the Contest Radar site on 21st June, 2025

Contest Radar

WIA VHF/UHF Field Day Contest - Winter 2025

 two weeks away to the  2025 WIA VHF UHF Winter Field Day Contest  over weekend 21st-22nd June, 2025

The Wireless Institute of Australia

VHF and above portable site Cape Hawke, Forster, NSW, QF67gs

 

I recently visited Cape Hawke (QF67gs)  lookout near Forster on the NSW Mid Coast, I had not been out to the lookout on previous visits to Forster, but after visiting the lookout I realised it is a great spot for VHF,UHF and SHF portable DXing, you can drive most of the way to the lookout, it has a 15minute walk to reach the summit, it is a National Park, so it is covered in dense vegetation and trees, but there is a large 20metre high lookout tower, stairs and platform at top, solid structure with metal posts for temporary connecting antennas too. Ground level is dense bushland, you want to do microwave you have to go up the lookout tower. It is a triangular platform  approx 3m x 3m

this photo is looking north west towards Forster.

this photo looking south west towards Newcastle, Sydney etc, it just catches the tops of trees.

looking west

looking north east up the coast 

CCARC Wyong Field Day 2024 Cancelled

 Wyong Field Day – 2024 - Central Coast Amateur Radio Club (ccarc.org.au)

John Moyle Memorial Field Day Contest 2024

 John Moyle Memorial Field Day Contest 2024

The Field Day will be held over the weekend of the 16th-17th March 2024 and run from 0100 UTC  on the Saturday to 0059 UTC on the Sunday

The Wireless Institute of Australia (wia.org.au)

VK3 Microwave Group Activity Day - 17th November, 2023

 Here is a snippet from the VK3 Microwave Chat group from their field day operations yesterday.

These guys are getting out on mountain tops and activating the microwave bands.

Stations worked by VK3KRD and the Group.

10.368.1 Gig and 5760.1 Gig.

VK3IE VK3TWO VK3HY VK3ACR.

2.4 Gig  beacon VK3IE.

144.1 SSB VK3ZO Vk3 ACR.

439 Fm, VK3ZO VK3BCU VK3DYD VH3CH VK3PI VK3TWO VK3IE VK3ACR

vk3-microwave@groups.io

WIA VHF UHF Field Day Contests for remainder of 2023

 

Upcoming Contest Date & Time

  Spring 2023 - 0100 UTC Saturday 25 November through 0059 UTC Sunday 26 November (0400 / 0359 in VK6).

  Summer 2024 - 0100 UTC Saturday 13 January through 0059 UTC Sunday 14 January (0400 / 0359 in VK6).

WIA VHF/UHF Contest 24th/25th June 2023

 Manly Warringah Radio Society will be operating the WIA VHF/UHF Field Day contest this weekend from Terrey Hills QF56oh , 6,2,70,23 on Saturday afternoon under callsign VI100MB

VI100MB operating on the John Moyle Field Day (JMFD) Contest 18th/19th March 2023

 

update below  from Dom VK2JNA and team, operating VI100MB Centennial Anniversary  callsign for VK2MB Manly Warringah Radio Society (1923-2023): 

We have setup horizontal OCF antenna about 35ft & predominately using that. 

We have also setup 18m vertical with radials at edge of salt water mangroves.  Will use on low bands tonight

Running on batteries on club IC-7300

Great sigs

Nice & rf quiet here at Culburra Beach (near Nowra)

Taking turns & Leo has participated in his first contest. 

We had to build a long feedline, so Nick volunteered his 100m roll of Benelec coax.

We intend to go 24hr & just plod along waving the MWRS flag 

It’s nice that every so often we get asked what the special call is for giving us a chance to explain our MWRS Centenary 

Currently 14190

Operators :
Dom VK2JNA

Nick VK2FS

Leo VK2LEO

WIA VHF UHF SHF Field Day Contest 2023

 

Upcoming WIA  VHF UHF SHF Contest Date & Time for 2023

  Summer 2023 - 0100 UTC Saturday 14 through 0059 UTC Sunday 15 January(0400 / 0359 in VK6). - COMPLETED

  Winter 2023 - 0100 UTC Saturday 24 June through 0059 UTC Sunday 25 June (0300 / 0259 in VK6).

The Wireless Institute of Australia (wia.org.au)

update on WIA Contests for remainder of 2022

 VK Trans-Tasman Contest is on 16th July 2022

 RD Contest is on 13th August 2022

These are the remaining two WIA VHF/UHF/SHF Field Day Contests for 2022.

  Winter 2022 - 0200 UTC Saturday 25 through 0159 UTC Sunday 26 June (0400 / 0359 in VK6). 

  Spring 2022 - 0100 UTC Saturday 26 through 0059 UTC Sunday 27 November (0400 / 0359 in VK6).

the full WIA 2022 Contest Calendar is here :

New release of VK 2022 Contest Calendar (wia.org.au)

John Moyle Field Day 2022 - postmortem

 I went to QF46pu with the intention of  working VHF and above, however after the first hour  of calling and finding nothing and hearing nothing,  (except for  VK2LE/p on 146.500, but they could not hear me). Dave VK2JDS was tuning around 40metres and found lots of stations calling CQ Contest,  so I started working the contest on 40metres, it was great fun, lots of strong signals, easy to work them. There were some serious stations out there, but also many casual contesters who liked a bit of a chat, which I was very obliging with. 

I was not  doing the contest seriously, just give out some numbers.  There seemed like there were many club groups and family groups, one op had his daughters doing the CQ calls while he made the contacts, so I was surprised by the number of young operators, both genders present, some of which had picked up the contest bug and operating very professionally and proficiently, which was great to hear. 

Over the 24 hour period I racked up 50 contacts, in between other projects,  while realistically just having a bit of fun in the contest.  I was operating under my other callsign VK2ABP,  running the Icom 756 Pro2 into a 80metre horizontal wire loop, strung out among the trees. 

Now that I had fun on a HF contest, I think I need to have a go at the RD Contest in August. I think I leave the VHF and above for the WIA VHF-UHF Field Day Contests.

WIA VHF/UHF/SHF Field Day Contests for 2022

 as mentioned earlier this year, the Summer VHF/UHF/SHF Field Day Contest has come and gone already

These are the remaining two WIA VHF/UHF/SHF Field Day Contests for 2022.

  Winter 2022 - 0200 UTC Saturday 25 through 0159 UTC Sunday 26 June (0400 / 0359 in VK6). 

  Spring 2022 - 0100 UTC Saturday 26 through 0059 UTC Sunday 27 November (0400 / 0359 in VK6).

The Wireless Institute of Australia (wia.org.au)

WIA Summer VHF UHF Contest 15th-16th 2022 post-mortem

 I had to work, but I did listen on 50.150, 144.150, 432.150  I did hear several content stations on 6m and 2m across Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.  I will try again and for the 2022 WIA Winter VHF UHF Contest and hopefully be active in that contest.

WIA VHF/ UHF Field Day Contest calendar

 as we starting to come out of Covid lockdowns, we can start thinking about amateur radio contests again

Upcoming Contest Date & Time

  Spring 2021 - 0100 UTC Saturday 27 through 0059 UTC Sunday 28 November (differs in VK6).

  Summer 2022 - 0100 UTC Saturday 15 through 0059 UTC Sunday 16 January (differs in VK6).

  Winter 2022 - 0200 UTC Saturday 25 through 0159 UTC Sunday 26 June (differs in VK6).

that means  the  WIA Spring VHF/UHF 2021 contest will be on  27th and 28th November.   which is a little over a month away.

The Wireless Institute of Australia (wia.org.au)

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.

John Moyle Field Day Contest 20th-21st March 2021

 the heavy rain and wind has made a mess of going contest portable on eastern seaboard,  

but at least two groups out there portable :

Manly Warringah Radio Society (MWRS) gone portable  to Gundaroo NSW QF45oa just north of VK1

to operate HF to 23cm   as club callsign VK2MB/p

and  also  the 

Eastern & Mountain District Radio Club (EMDRC)  operating portable  near Blackwood (n.w. of Melbourne)  QF22dm15  operating as VK3ER/p  160m to 47GHz

WIA VHF UHF SHF Field Day Contests 2021

   Summer 2021 - 0100 UTC Saturday 16 through 0059 UTC Sunday 17 January (differs in VK6).

  Winter 2021 - 0100 UTC Saturday 26 through 0059 UTC Sunday 27 June (differs in VK6).

  Spring 2021 - tba   in November,  just my luck, it will be probably be same weekend  as the F1 GP  or Moto GP

rules can be found here :

The Wireless Institute of Australia (wia.org.au)

postmortem of WIA VHF/UHF/SHF contest - 21st November 2020

 We went to Mt. Allyn  QF57rv,  a group of us from MWRS Club operating as VK2MB,   for the 8 hour stint,  I also  operated as myself to give out some numbers on 146.500 FM simplex to people. Nothing heard or worked on 439.000 FM or 52.525 FM

Nothing on 23cm or 9cm,   just too many damned trees sticking up. on the south-west side of the carpark, which is what we needed to get back to Sydney and beyond,  it is clear  view from north round to east,  (90 Degrees) , but south through west to north (180 deg) is buggered by big trees.

We worked ZL stations on 2m SSB.  that was the excitement, considering it was 37deg C when we got there. The dirt road to the top is thin, windy and rough, although there were cars coming up.

Overall, pretty dismal operating from this site, Telstra and Optus mobile  coverage was piss weak, considering we sitting on top of a mountain,  4G signal kept coming and going, not reliable for doing liason on vkspotter  etc.   We noted that Gerard VK2IO  did a whole lot better  operating portable from Mt. Banks QF56ej.  Need to re-evaluate where we going next time.