Photo: A bit of guitar action at home in the lounge.

As of February 2012, I have recently rationalised the information on this page.

Here is some of the latest news:

P25 is coming to Geelong - stay tuned. :-)

Thanks to Jim KR6WP, I now have a new IRLP node up and running. It is completely transportable and uses a Telstra 3G Internet connection. Whilst it will spend most of its time at home, it will often be taken along to field days, camping, holidays, etc. In its first field outing during the 2011 ILLW at the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse, it never missed a beat and was utilised for most of the weekend. The node ID is 6993.

A summary of IRLP nodes in the Geelong area.

6097 - Simplex node in Bannockburn by Rod VK3XOK

6353 - Simplex low-power experimental node by Rod VK3XOK

6572 - Repeater VK3RGC node by the Geelong Amateur Radio Club VK3ATL for wide area use - this covers the Geelong, Bellarine Peninsula and Surf Coast areas

6993 - Simplex low-power experimental / transportable node (using a Telstra 3G connection) by Nik VK3BA

Michael VK5ZEA has a new website for his D-Star repeater system in Port Lincoln: http://vk5rex.squarespace.com/

My list of IRLP favourites: NODE-LIST

In Australia, the best place to get your Icom D-Star radio is from an authorised dealer such as Strictly Ham- the friendly ToyShop! http://www.strictlyham.com.au/

Well, you're here now so you might as well sit back and read this.

G'day and welcome! My name is Nik, my lazy abbreviation of Nicholas.

I live in Hamlyn Heights on the western outskirts of Geelong, in the southern Australian state of Victoria. The QTH is approx 75mASL and I have reasonably good RF coverage in most directions.

The Geelong and surrounding areas have an approximate population of 250,000 people and is approx 70km south-west of the Victorian capital of Melbourne.

I grew up on a farm in the Hamilton / Penshurst area in Western Victoria but have been working in Melbourne in the telecommunications industry and living in Geelong for some 20 years now. Apart from my main hobby of radio comms, my other interests are four wheel driving, camping, motorbike riding, motorsport, country-rock music, outback travelling, comparing one shiraz to the next, pro-lighting & audio, and local volunteer fire brigade service and activities.

I regularly operate 2m, 70cm and 23cm on FM, SSB & D-Star, IRLP and a little bit of HF (HF is mobile only). I like working portable or mobile as well.

My local IRLP node is 6097 (proudly owned & operated by Rod VK3XOK)

If you are new to the hobby of Amateur Radio, youwill be amazed with many of the contacts you make and the people you will come across. There are really great operators out there that will help you along, share ideas with you, inspire you and amaze you! Why not join your local amateur radio club?

I have created a list of weblinks below that I have found to be very interesting. There are also links to personal sites that I have great admiration for. There are a lot of great people doing fantastic things in our hobby. There is no shortage offriendly & knowledgeablementors out there!

Thankyou for visiting!!

Cheers, Nik VK3BA

Grid: QF21DV

Dashboard Summary (only the ones I've managed to resolve a URL for) and check the date stamp once you've opened these, to ensure the info is current:

To be included in next list update: VK8RAD Dashboard https://203.122.218.38/status.html

In VK3, the only usable D-Star repeaters are VK3RDK in Horsham, VK3RGV near Shepparton and VK3RMC near Cranbourne. The VK3RMM system has been off-air since August 2010 and appears unlikely to come back to life. The WIA-controlled VK3RWN system has been less than satisfactory since August 2010 and has limited coverage (if at all) and functionality.

***********Local news & information for those travelling through Geelong & Western Victoria.

The Mt Anakie 2m repeater VK3RGL 147.000 now requires CTCSS 91.5Hz and has a large coverage area. This is the main repeater for most amateurs in the greater Geelong area and can often be quite busy during drive-time. This repeater has recently been changed over and now the receive performance is much improved.

The Mt Anakie 70cm repeater VK3RGL 439.575 is co-located with the 2m repeater. This 70cm repeater now runs 91.5Hz CTCSS decode & encode.

The new Montpellier (Geelong central) 2m VK3RGC 147.125 is now on-air and provides excellent coverage to the built-up areas of Geelong and Bellarine Peninsula. This repeater also features 91.5Hz CTCSS decode & encode. It is linked to IRLP node 6572. A new 70cm repeater is planned for the VK3RGC site by the end of the year - stay tuned!

Coverage maps are now available at the GARC website. The RGL2m repeater is a prominent repeater in south-west Victoria.

The new Portland 2m repeater VK3RPL 146.825 has excellent coverage in south-west Victoria and is often worked from Geelong and easily whilst mobile in Hamilton. A 70cm repeater 438.500 linked to IRLP node 6373 is co-located with the 2m repeater.

The VK3RWZ Mt William 2m repeater has recently been replaced and is now back on-air and is now providing better coverage than ever before. The coverage is so good, that I can access this repeater with a 5watt h/held indoors at Hamilton. I've done a lot of drive testing in the Hamilton & Balmoral areas in recent times and I can confirm that the coverage is very good, although it has been suffering some intermod issues for some time. The VK3RWU 70cm repeater has recently been replaced and is now up and running again. It now requires 91.5Hz CTCSS to access. You may find that the coverage of VK3RWU may be better than VK3RWZ along the Hamilton Hwy.

The VK3RBA Mt Buninyong 2m, 70cm and D-Star repeaters have been permanently shutdown and removed. The BARG have since established a new 2mFM repeater VK3RBT 146.650 and requires CTCSS 91.5Hz on Green Hill near Ballarat. Beware though that it's now using the same frequency as the VK3RGV Mt Wombat 2m repeater - so some interference issues will occur. Hopefully VK3RBT will be assigned a new frequency soon.

The Ben Nevis 2m repeater VK3RWA 147.100 now requires CTCSS 91.5Hz and serves the areas west of Ballarat, although beware that this repeater is a little deaf on RX. It is linked to IRLP node 6310 which is owned & operated by the Ballarat Amateur Radio Group.

The Otways & Colac areas are well covered by the Beech Forest 2m repeater VK3ROW 147.275 and requires CTCSS 91.5Hz and has recently been refreshed by the Geelong Amateur Radio Club.

If you are travelling around Warrnambool, there are two repeaters VK3RWL located nearby. They are on 147.050 and 439.875 located on Mt Warrnambool.

VK3BA 6th Feb 2012