Ipswich & District Radio Club

07/09/2026

G'day gang - strewth, what a night at Digital Night!

At least 13 through the door down at Deebing Street, maybe more. That's a proper roll-up, and it tells you the hobby's alive and kicking in Ipswich.

Huge thanks to John VK4MUD, who spent the whole night elbow-deep in codeplugs, programming radios for anyone who needed it - and even took one member's rig home to finish sorting it. That's the real mentor spirit right there. Legend.

Next week - Greg VK4GJW runs the tape measure Yagi build again. PVC, a tape measure, some solder, and you walk out with a working antenna. Don't be spooked, Greg'll have you cutting elements like a pro.

Later this month - GOTA Day (Get On The Air), a full radio day at the clubhouse organised by Brandon VK4BRW.

Get around it, Ipswich - see you at the next one!

Full write-up and photos:
https://ipswichradioclub.org.au/digital-night-radios-sorted-and-a-cracking-turnout/

06/09/2026

Righto, listen up! 📻

The club's putting on a GOTA Day that's "Get On The Air" and it's exactly what it sounds like, mate. Saturday 26 September, down the clubhouse at 10 Deebing St, Ipswich. Afternoon till late.

Here's the deal: you rock up, you get on the radio, you have a go. Doesn't matter if you've got a shiny HF rig in the car or you've never keyed up a mic in your life — there'll be gear to use and folks standing right there to walk you through it. That first contact is a grin you don't forget.

Got a radio? Bring it. Got an antenna you've been meaning to try? Bring that too. Got nothing but curiosity? Perfect bring that, it's the good stuff.

🍕 Dinner's pizza, so chuck a bit of cash in your pocket.

We're still nailing down the finer points, so if you want to lend a hand with setup, or you've got gear or ideas to throw in the mix, give the Secretary a shout.

All welcome members, not-yet-members, and the neighbour who keeps asking what that big aerial's for.

https://ipswichradioclub.org.au/gota-day-2026/

23/08/2026

Great weekend out at the Twisted Pair Shack (Bill VK4ZD and Diane VK4DI) for the WIA Remembrance Day Contest!

Four members headed out for a weekend of contesting and hands-on training. A big highlight was our newest member Tilly (still waiting on her callsign), getting her first time on air, trained by Diane on N1MM+ and calling CQ Contest. She picked it up fast and didn't want to stop!

Alan VK4AJG trained with Bill and also did a great job, plus he brought the family (and the dog) along.

Raw score: 815 contacts, 998 points, just short of our 1000 point target.

Massive thanks to Bill and Diane for hosting and running the training. Keen to do it all again for the OCDX SSB in October.

Interested in joining the team? Check out Bill and Diane on QRZ: https://qrz.com/db/VK4ZD and https://qrz.com/db/VK4DI

Full write-up and photos: https://ipswichradioclub.org.au/wia-remembrance-day-contest-2026-weekend-wrap-up/

73 from the Ipswich & District Radio Club

22/08/2026

Big day for the club on Saturday.

AGM in the morning, then we took the Quansheng UV-K5 v3s out to have a crack at the new firmware. It has added a proper beacon and sniffer mode, so we wanted to run it through its paces before we commit to using it at a club fox hunt. The tape measure Yagi build night on Monday 14 September comes first, so everyone will have their own directional antenna to hunt with.

Then out to the Bremer River in the arvo for a park activation, AU-10886 Bremer River Rail Bridge State Heritage Park. Ran the FX4CR with a 3D printed turret mic and a homemade K6ARK-style end fed antenna.

Alan VK4AJG and Brandon VK4BRW logged 23 contacts on 40m SSB, mostly solid 5-7 to 5-9 both ways. Thanks to everyone who called in, and to the few who told us straight up how the audio was sounding. That is how we found the mic gain problem.

Full write-up and photos: https://ipswichradioclub.org.au/agm-fox-hunting-pota-activation-22-august-2026/

73 from the Ipswich & District Radio Club

18/08/2026

Our September social meeting is a hands-on workshop night. We are building tape measure Yagi antennas at the Club House, 10 Deebing St, Ipswich.

Full details: https://ipswichradioclub.org.au/september-social-meeting-yagi-build-night/

09/08/2026

Two parks in one day on the air

VK4BRW and Alan VK4ALG activated Sadliers Crossing Railway Bridge (AU-11000) and Pteropus Conservation Park (AU-1295) on Sunday, 27 contacts across the day including two park-to-park.

https://ipswichradioclub.org.au/two-parks-one-day-on-the-air-au-11000-and-au-1295/

Sunday 9 August 2026 saw a double Parks on the Air activation, with VK4BRW teaming up with Alan VK4ALG to work two parks in a single trip: AU-11000 (Sadliers Crossing…

08/08/2026

🎙️ Great turnout at Saturday's Social Meeting!

A big thanks to Alan VK4SN and Di VK4DI for running us through N1MM+ contest logging

COM port setup, power levels, and getting logs ready for Cabrillo submission. Lots of great questions and even better BBQ chat afterwards.

Next up: the Remembrance Day Contest this coming weekend. perfect timing to put the new setup to use!

73 VK4WIP 📻

04/08/2026

13/07/2026

Social Night

A huge thank you to VK4JBX for delivering an informative presentation about QRZ.com and DARC at our recent Club Social Night.

This event offered insights that were useful for all members, regardless of experience.

We look forward to seeing you at our next gathering, details of which can be found at www.ipswichradioclub.org.au.

73 Ipswich Amateur Radio Club

24/06/2026

Our next Ipswich & District Radio Club business meeting will be held on Saturday 27 June 2026 at 10:00 AEST at the clubhouse, 10 Deebing St, Ipswich.

All members are encouraged to come along, share ideas, and help guide the direction of the club.

Zoom access is available for those unable to attend in person. Please contact the club for details.

Website: https://ipswichradioclub.org.au