Author: webdev

On Saturday 21st of March members of the South East Radio Group set up at picturesque Lake Leake, 35 Km NNW of Mount Gambier S.A. in order to participate in the 2026 John Moyle Memorial Field Day Contest.
Our aim was to be involved in the contest while enjoying a relaxed family day in the sun.

The weather was absolutely perfect with the only downside being the stiff breeze that started up later in the afternoon which caused a couple of members to roll up their awnings before any damage was caused.
Radio conditions were not great and for a while the ops experienced a lot of interference from nearby vehicles. That was partially overcome by reorienting the half wave end fed multi band antenna which was kindly supplied by Tim, VK5AV.
We must also thank club president Nick, VK5NJS for towing our club trailer to Lake Leake and then back home again.
A number of members had a spell on the radio using our club callsign of VK5SR, while the rest were quite content to sit in the shade and swap tall tales, lies and general gossip.

The camp ground was quite busy with a number of caravans on site and a large group of backpackers were camped at the Southern end of the grassy camp area. Fortunately, they were away for the day apple picking in local orchards and so caused us no bother. 
With a decent toilet block and a solid shelter containing  a free BBQ we were easily able to cook our sausages, burger patties, onions and whatever else was fancied.

Lake Leake used to be a very popular playground here in the Lower South East of South Australia and speed boat racing was a regular occurrence a few  years ago, but the water level has fallen to such an extent that the Lake is not even any good for canoeing now. It is fed entirely from rainfall and that has been lacking over the last few years.

All present thoroughly enjoyed the day and we will be doing more of this sort of club activity over the coming months.
A big thank you to Tim, VK5AV, for suggesting our participation in the John Moyle Field Day and helping make it a relaxed and casual event for all to enjoy.

Jack, VK5EBA, Tim, VK5AV, Owen, VK5HOS and Tony, VK5AGE setting up the half wave end fed multiband antenna.

Some of the members, (and partners), just enjoyed the social side of the day, (and the sunshine of course).

Tony, VK5AGE, Peter, VK5BE and Tom, VK5EE solving the world’s problems in front of the excellent shelter which contained the free BBQ.

Jack, VK5EBA and Tim, VK5AV on the radio in our club/s communication trailer, club president Nick, VK5NJS and Greg, VK5ZGY in the foreground (with Tom, VK5EE in the background).

On Tuesday 20/1/26 Nick VK5NJS and Norbert VK5MQ re-positioned the two metre clover leaf antenna for the 144.550MHz beacon.

Previously the beacon was seriously desensing the 2M repeater and we had found it necessary to turn the beacon off.

Rather than being less than 2 or 3 metres from the repeater antenna it has now been relocated  about half way up the tower. Desense has gone and the beacon is performing as it should.

John VK5DJ and Tom VK5NFT were on site for encouragement.

Thanks all.

Thanks to WICEN and Arno VK5ZAR here is an update of the VK5 Repeaters. 

Last Friday Nick, accompanied by Col VK5HCF, presented a box of craft beer to Brett Pittard, the proprietor of T.D.R.S. Tech. for his long time, (and ongoing), support by providing our Group with first class internet access free of charge.

Brett does this in order to honour the memory of his Dad, Phil, VK5HAM. (S.K.) who was a prominent member of the club a few years ago. Phil was an accomplished musician, a tech wizard and a man possessed of a very sharp wit. He contributed a great deal to the club over many years and is sorely missed.
Thank you Brett.

Now in testing mode at The Bluff and performing well.

Here are some details provided by Peter VK5BE.

A highlight of our meeting was the presentation of awards.

The budget was approved with the addition of an amount of $8000 for possible work at VK5RBT Willalooka, a possible move for VK5RKN at Mt Benson to a site 2km south and a possible new site north of Kingston (near Taratap) to improve coverage along the Coorong.

Many reports were provided at the meeting and Secretary Col has added these to our Members’ pages.

On Saturday 19-4-25 Norbert VK5MQ, Tom VK5NFT and John VK5DJ travelled to The Bluff between Millicent and Mt Gambier to continue the development of the VK5RMG site.

The low voltage distribution had been temporarily wired to enable operation of the site. Norbert’s aim was to achieve a system of sub mains and increased wire size to minimise voltage drop now that the site was powered by our 800W solar system.
Tom was able to assist Norbert while John supervised from the chair and maintained discipline 🙂

Power distribution was completed to our two electricians’ satisfaction. The solar inverter, battery and related parts formed the main components of the power supply and branching from this were the two sub mains – one going to the two metre linked system and the other to the UHF C4FM/FM repeater cabinet. All three cabinets and units were fitted with circuit breakers to enable individual cabinet and repeater isolation from the battery.

The solar charge (voltage and current) to the battery, may be monitored remotely through the Internet. Because the equipment supplies are fed directly from the battery our remote system does not show the load voltage and current. This can be approximated by knowing that for a fully charged battery the  charge current approximates the load current. Current indications suggest that maximum voltage drop in the fully transmitting state is <0.2V due to the heavy cable in use.

Norbert installed an N-type connector to the link antenna to Naracoorte while Tom installed a dry powder extinguisher. Thanks Norbert and Tom, jobs well done.

In the near future Peter and Nick will replace the link antenna at Naracoorte and we should then have the Willalooka/Naracoorte branch working again.

In the coming weeks we will install a low voltage detector (not shown). Its purpose it to determine if battery volts have become dangerously low and if so turn on the battery charger (see 4 meters in right hand cabinet). On current evidence this may be required mid winter only. In addition, the temporary link antenna to Naracoorte will be replaced with a more sturdy yagi.

On the weekend of 3/4 May 2025, SERG supported the Generations in Jazz Festival near Mt Gambier. The Festival involves about 4000 students in music competitions and has been held for many years, growing ever stronger. Trumpeter/Musician James Morrison was an important catalyst in promoting and supporting the event, especially in its early days. It started small in 1987 and was supported by the Secondary Schools of the Lower South East. More schools wanted to be involved and it has now grown into a huge event drawing from schools across South Australia and Victoria.

Here’s an extract from the GIJ website

Mount Gambier, in South Australia’s Limestone Coast, is Australia’s hotspot for this high-energy sound – largely thanks to a unique annual event called Generations in Jazz (GIJ).​

Established in 1987, this spectacular gathering on the outskirts of the city, made famous for its Blue Lake, not only attracts the jazz legends of today but also the bright stars of tomorrow.

​Generations in Jazz holds a special place in the jazz culture of Australia, where one generation of brilliant musicians inspires the next, and aspiring musicians get a taste of life as professional musicians. It’s where like-minded individuals gather to learn from each other, study, and perform.

The South East Radio Group (SERG) provides the communications for the event and this is facilitated by the addition of our portable repeater (VK5SR) that enables excellent signals across the very large site. The members of SERG fulfill an important coordination of activities but also a safety umbrella in the event of unforeseen happenings.

All those handhelds are to various places on the grounds, Kate has to manage all that at once. Maxwell VK5AC looking on in awe at the UHF DMR handsets. The SERG operators on 2M had the benefit of strong signals and the headsets.

Headsets were mandatory for those operators in the tents as the noise was huge.

Photos courtesy of Greg VK5ZGY and Tom VK5NFT