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Links to Amateur Radio websites

Information resources

• The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) is the "Federation of National Amateur Radio Societies representing the interests of two-way amateur radio communication".
• A comprehensive list of individual Australian radio amateurs' web pages is radio amateurs on the Net administered by Allan VK2CA.
• Allan VK2CA also has a list of all Amateur & UHF CB repeaters in Australia
• The amateur radio classifieds section of Allan's site lists the last month's used equipment advertisements, including "For Sale", "Wanted" and other classifications. This is currently the best source of available second hand radio equipment. Most licenced radio amateurs sell transmitting equipment only to licenced amateurs. If you don't have your licence yet, be prepared with a genuine explanation of why you want to buy such gear. If you want to find a buyer for your used amateur radio equipment, this is the place to list it.
• The Australian Communications and Media Authority (formerly Australian Communications Authority, Spectrum Management Agency, Dept of Communications, Dept of Transport and Communications, Postal and Telecommunications Dept, Postmaster General's Department) - this is the government agency that regulates the radio spectrum in Australia and issues licences to radio amateurs here. Select the Amateur Radio subjects to find the agency's current documents relating to Amateur Radio licencing and operation.
• IPS Radio and Space Services the Australian Ionospheric Prediction Service.

Australian ham radio web pages

• Ted Garnett VK1BL
• Owen Duffy VK1OD publishes a text book sized website on a wide range of technical and practical subjects relating to amateur radio communications. There is a lot of material here - bookmark it as you'll be back
• Ralph VK1BRH
• Laurie Brown VK1KLB
• Neil Pickford VK1KNP with information and reports on the 1998 series of 2m foxhunts (hidden transmitter hunts) held in Canberra with a growing band of participants
• Tex VK1TX
• Dave Griffiths VK2AFI offers a software upgrade for the Philips FM900 FM radios used by Australian radio amateurs on VHF bands (mostly 2m). The improvements include scanning, a better range of functions and a better beep.
• VK2FLR VHF Sounds Archive - recordings of VHF DX worked from Sydney, Australia.
• Paul VK2THN's home page contains links to Amateur Radio, Astronomy, Computer Hardware and Software, Sound Files and more!
• Barry Miller VK3BJM's website explains how he got into amateur radio, what kinds of radio experiments he does, photos of his equipment and antennas, plus some nice photos from his travels out to distant parts of Australia. VHF, UHF, microwave bands as well as HF
• Peter Parker VK3YE's Gateway to Amateur Radio including construction articles, QRP notes (for low power specialists), 160m band activity, Outback, marine and CB, Broadcast and shortwave band listening.
• Adam VK4CP runs the VKLogger, a very useful resource providing real time information about who is active, who can hear what, chat between people trying to make contact, plus operator info and grid locators, plus active discussion forums . Logger has separate sections for HF, 6m, 2m and up.
• John Drew VK5DJ publishes some great software for a variety of purposes such as yagi design, contest logging and repeater controllers. Also some software and spreadsheet utilities for weather station data, SWR calculations, beam indicators.
• Rob Norman VK5SW shows how amateur radio can be practical in the bush without any mains power. Some very nice pictures to enjoy too.
• David VK5KK publishes details of his microwave equipment
• I have added further links to personal websites to my links collection at Delicious.com. Select the tag "radio"
• in addition there are many personal websites readily found via any search engine

Australian Commercial Ham Radio (and related) sites

Links to equipment suppliers in Australia can be found in the VKFAQ.

Antennas - theory, practical examples, VSWR, Yagis and other antennas

• Antennex has a wealth of information about antennas including tutorials, examples, discussions, tables etc.
• This article explains some facts about VSWR, one of the most misunderstood concepts in amateur radio
• Kent Britain WA5VJB publishes information about various antennas subjects including his Cheap Yagis for VHF and UHF bands
• W4RNL LB Cebik (SK) wrote an encyclopaedia sized collection of articles about antenna modelling, HF and VHF . You may need to register a user-id and receive a password to view this site.
• VHF/UHF Long Yagi Workshop and Folded Dipoles for VHF/UHF Yagis by Ian White G3SEK
• 70 cm Power splitter by dxzone.com
• stacking with power splitters
• KU4AB.COM omnidirectional horizontal VHF antennas
• Aussie Satellite Services-Satellite Dishes
• W5OE Alford Slot

Moonbounce on 432 MHz in VK1 - December 1995

• AMSAT, the Amateur Satellite Corporation. Find out more about amateur satellites, where they are, what software is available to predict their paths, what frequency to listen for them or transmit to them (yes, you can make ham radio contacts via satellites too).
• The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) home page
• The ARRL Catalog of publications and products
• ARRL Contest Calendar
• Dayton Hamvention now in May for better weather than April
• Federal Communications Commission (USA)
• IK4LZH DX QSL information
• Israel Amateur Radio Club
• National Radio Club and DX Audio Service
• Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers
• Tucson Amateur Packet Radio a key organisation in the history and current digital technologies used by radio amateurs. Most of the TNCs used today are based on the TAPR standard.

• AMSAT Australia, AMSAT New Zealand, AMSAT UK and other AMSAT and Amateur Radio Satellite groups
• AMSAT News
• Satellite tracking software index
• NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center Overview
• Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment This gives information about the space shuttle's amateur radio experiments - on recent missions, many or most of the crew have had ham licences. They give hams an opportunity to make brief contacts with the shuttle as it passes overhead. The SAREX program also aims to provide school students with the same experience, by making specific schedules for contacts with schools in advance of each mission.
• Also see this SAREX site

• TigerTronics doing interesting new things with the Baycom PC-based modem
• EzPacket software home page

Top

• CT by K1EA - The Ultimate Contest Software
• DX4WIN Windows logging software for dxers
• BuckMaster Publishing World Wide Ham Directory
• Six Metre band Links, FAQs, hints
• Another collection of links and info about 6 metres
• Easyterm software to control AEA and Kantronics TNCs
• Ham Radio Vendor Directory
• KA-Win Software for Kantronics TNCs
• The Guide to the Personal Radio Newsgroups, written by Jay Maynard, K5ZC, provides an excellent overview to all of the USENET newsgroups devoted to amateur and CB radio.
• A Guide to Buying and Selling on Usenet, also written by Jay Maynard, contains a number of good pointers for reading and posting articles concerning the buying and selling of radio and radio-related equipment on the USENET newsgroup rec.radio.swap. Of somewhat historical interest now.

• Adam VK4CP runs the VKLogger, a very useful resource providing real time information about who is active, who can hear what, chat between people trying to make contact, plus operator info and grid locators, plus active discussion forums . Logger has separate sections for HF, 6m, 2m and up.
• Australia-New Zealand VHF-UHF Discussion Forums
• Paul W1GHZ has a huge website devoted to microwave subjects including a multi-chapter Microwave Manual in PDF form. Also some kits and PCBs for sequencers and other items
• Jim W6PQL publishes details of his successful VHF/UHF/Microwave station and kits and PCBs you can obtain for various projects on the higher bands
• N0EOQ and KA0NNO's VHF / Microwave site
• Six Metre band club
• Six Metre band FAQ
• GJ4ICD's links to many VHF/UHF resources, including beacon lists, clusters, nets, homebrew gear, commercials etc. See the VHF propagation FAQ at this site too.
• North East Weak Signal VHF Group Home Page by WZ1V - with lots of useful links to other US sites, such as grid locators, contest details, site info, software essentials and more.
• KB2AH's 1296 MHz equipment including low noise amplifiers, power amplifiers, antennas. If you are a modem user, be patient. The pictures of the big dishes and other images are worth seeing.

  "An output of 1.4KW is attained by using two 6-tube ring amps in parallel, combined with a 180-deg hybrid. The driver is a 1-tube cavity driving a 2-tube cavity driving the two 6-tube cavities. At full output there is a plate current of 3 amp at 1400 volts on the two 6-tube amplifiers. A total of sixteen 7289's are used in the system."

• AF9Y's Home Page - look at his EME (earth-moon-earth) antenna arrays. These antennas allow him to bounce signals off the moon and converse with other hams with similar setups. He challenges you to hear some (really) weak morse signals in a recording of a signal received via the moon. I downloaded his WAV file and heard only a trace of a callsign about halfway through. See how well you go.

  AF9Y said in a posting to aus.radio.amateur.misc that after a year, no-one had succeeded in decoding the callsign from the noise.

• Microwave Journal
• VHF Communications magazine (UK)

Beacons

• 50 MHz beacons

• Peter Parker VK3YE's Gateway to Amateur Radio includes a QRP Australia section.
• QRP-L is a newsletter about QRP equipment and operations. Here is some information about joining the QRP-L mailing list and here are Archives of QRP-L.
• Several QRP projects described by George Rosenberg, KC6WDK, including a crystal-controlled direct conversion receiver, a simple QRP transmitter, a crystal checker, a RF power meter, and a field strength meter.

Homebrew Radio Equipment - Articles, resources, parts sources

• Harry, SM0VPO's homebrew page

DX operation, IOTA, DXpedition info, contests

• Islands on the Web - N1HRW's informative website that includes forums for exchanging IOTA info, an IOTA calendar of forthcoming operations, the Most Wanted Islands survey, and heaps of links to related websites.
• CQ Magazine Contest page
• ARRL Contest Calendar

• Shortwave radio propagation prediction charts
• Propagation, Shortwave listening, Photography, Electronics - Tom Sundstrom W2XQ's site
• DXer.COM

• Antennex magazine online - the Amateur Radio Magazine all about antennas
• Ham Radio Online an international ham radio e-zine based in the USA. An extensive links list too.
• Newsline - Amateur Radio News

Radio Links: General: Short Wave Listening

• Australian Radio DX Club
• Penta Comstat Penta Marine Radio Communications is a unique privately operated radio communication station providing a personalised service for small craft in the South Pacific and recreational 4WD's in outback Australia.
• Radio stations on the web
• shortWWWave Paul Dwerryhouse's directory of international media information
• Radio New Zealand which also provides program material over the net. Follow the links from the home page.