Events

This page lists many of the events SARCNET has organized. Feel free to come along to the event or organize similar events yourself. School events are weekend activates held away from school in parks or venues where parents are welcome to attend. Each school event is designed to exercise skills learnt during SARC lunchtime sessions.

Events list

SARCNET @ VK7 DXpedition October 2022

Julie VK3FOWL and Joe VK3YSP will be activating 16 National Parks for the VKFF Program in Tasmania (VK7) during October 2022. Operating as VK3SRC/P on 7105 kHz LSB, they will team up with Tony VK3XV and Sheryl who will be operating as VK7XV on 7144 kHz LSB and 14310 kHz USB.

The DXpedition will be over 12 days and cover 2760km. Our park activation schedule is shown below. Julie and Joe will also run SARCNET on 7105 kHz LSB, every day, from parks and while mobile. Electronic QSL will be via QRZ and LOTW. QSL cards via the VK3 Bureau. Track us on-line with APRS via our mobile HF radio or our iPhone (Note: Please select the track with the minimum age).

See our park activation report here.

Park Activation Schedule

Each park will be activated for up to 3 hours. Starting times are shown in Eastern Australian Daylight Saving Time and UTC. Some contacts may be possible overnight, or before 8am the next morning, at parks indicated (*) where we will be camping overnight.

18/10 9:49am (17/10/2022 22:49 UTC) VKFF-0005 Narawntapu National Park
18/10 5:03pm (18/10/2022 6:03 UTC) VKFF-0366 Mt William National Park*
19/10 12:13pm (19/10/2022 1:13 UTC) VKFF-0028 Ben Lomond National Park
20/10 1:07pm (20/10/2022 2:07 UTC) VKFF-0145 Douglas Apsley National Park
20/10 5:34pm (20/10/2022 6:34 UTC) VKFF-0188 Freycinet National Park*
21/10 Rest Day
22/10 8:20am (21/10/2022 21:20 UTC) VKFF-0481 Tasman National Park (2 hours)
22/10 2:01pm (22/10/2022 3:01 UTC) VKFF-0456 South Bruny National Park
23/10 2:02pm (23/10/2022 3:02 UTC) VKFF-0227 Hartz Mountains National Park
24/10 1:34pm (24/10/2022 2:34 UTC) VKFF-0461 Southwest National Park
24/10 5:41pm (24/10/2022 6:41 UTC) VKFF-0347 Mt Field National Park*
25/10 10:21am (24/10/2022 23:21 UTC) VKFF-0117 Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park
25/10 1:48pm (25/10/2022 2:48 UTC) VKFF-0185 Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park
26/10 11:17pm (26/10/2022 12:17 UTC) VKFF-0322 Mole Creek Karst National Park
27/10 8:52am (26/10/2022 21:52 UTC) VKFF-0513 Walls of Jerusalem National Park
27/10 4:06pm (27/10/2022 5:06 UTC) VKFF-0443 Savage River National Park
28/10 1:00pm (28/10/2022 2:00 UTC) VKFF-0432 Rocky Cape National Park
29/10 Rest Day

VK7 DXpedition Map

Operating Conditions: VK3SRC/P

Mobile: Barrett 2050 Transceiver, Barrett 2019 Autotune Antenna
Stationary: Barrett 2050 Transceiver, 40m Inverted-V, Yaesu FT-7900/Yaesu FT60R (UHF Link System)

Julie & Joe VK3SRC

Operating Conditions: VK7XV

Mobile: CODAN NGT Transceiver, Codan Autotune Antenna

Stationary: Elecraft K3 Transceiver, 40/20m Inverted-L

Tony VK3XV/VK7XV

SARCNET @ Queenscliffe White Lighthouse

With the kind permission of the Borough of Queenscliffe (permit #822), Julie VK3FOWL and Joe VK3YSP will be activating the Queenscliffe White lighthouse (AU0051) for the International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend over two days, Saturday 20 August 2022 and Sunday 21 August 2022, from 0000UTC to 0600UTC. Operating as VK3SRC/P on 7105 kHz LSB, they will team up with Tony VK3XV and Sheryl who will be operating as VK3XV on 7144 kHz LSB and 14310 kHz USB.

Julie and Joe will also run SARCNET on 7105 kHz LSB, every day, while at the lighthouse.

Queenscliffe White Lighthouse

Operating Conditions: VK3SRC/P

Barrett 2050 Transceiver, 40m Inverted-V

Operating Conditions: VK7XV

Elecraft K3 Transceiver, 40/20m Inverted-L

History

Courtesy of Lighthouses of Australia Inc

The white lighthouse at Queenscliff was built 1862 to replace an earlier wooden lighthouse erected in 1853.

It is built of the same bluestone that was used to build the Black Lighthouse but was painted white to distinguish it in daylight.

The new light was built in conjunction with the White (Low) Lighthouse and therefore had many similarities in design.

The lamps and housings were manufactured by Chance Brothers in England.

The light was converted to gas in 1890 and later converted to electricity in 1924.

The lighthouse forms the front, or low, of a system of lights that gives mid-channel direction when in line with the High Light.

The light, automated, is now unmanned.

SARCNET @ AHRS

At the very kind invitation of Phil, VK5SRP, SARCNET will be travelling to South Australia for the Adelaide Hills Amateur Radio Society meeting on Thursday 17 June 2021. Subject to COVID restrictions: We will be presenting our "Amateur Radio for Kids" talk. It will be a good opportunity to catch up with all our VK5 friends.

SARCNET @ SERG 2021

At the very kind invitation of Col, VK5HCF, SARCNET will be travelling again to Mount Gambier, South Australia for the South East Radio Group annual convention and Australian ARDF Championships on the weekend of 12-13 June 2021. Subject to COVID restrictions: We will be providing an Electronics Prototyping Workshop and a Morse Code Workshop and presenting our "Amateur Radio for Kids" talk. It is a good opportunity for us to catch up with all of our VK5 friends.

SARCNET @ BAREC

At the very kind invitation of Greame, VK3GRK, SARCNET will be travelling to Castlemaine, Victoria, on 17 August 2018. We will be presenting "Amateur Radio for Kids" to members of the Bendigo Amateur Radio and Electronics Club (BAREC). There will be a display of many of the SARCNET projects and activities. The meeting will be held at the 1st Castlemaine Scout hall, at 7:30pm.

SARCNET @ GIPPSTECH 2018

At the very kind invitation of Peter, VK3PF, SARCNET will be travelling to Gippsland, Victoria for the annual GippsTech convention on the weekend of 7-8 July 2018. We will be providing satellite tracking demonstrations and presenting our SDR Receiver and Mini Satellite Ground Station talks.

SARCNET @ SERG 2018

At the very kind invitation of Col, VK5HCF, SARCNET will be travelling to Mount Gambier, South Australia for the South East Radio Group annual convention and Australian ARDF Championships on the weekend of 10-11 June 2018. We will be providing an Electronics Prototyping Workshop and a Lead-Free Soldering contest. We will be presenting our "Amateur Radio for Kids" talk.

SARCNET @ Margate Lifeboat Station, UK

At the very kind invitation of John, G7OHO, SARCNET will travelling to Kent, England for the long weekend of 26-28 May 2018. We will be joining John to activate the Margate Lifeboat Station for the SOS Radio Week 2018 using the call sign GB1RNLI. We will be meeting with members of John's School Amateur Radio Club, presenting them with SARCNET badges and Electronics Prototyping Kits. The purpose of the SOS Radio Week is to raise awareness and funds for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). The staff and crews of the RNLI work tirelessly throughout the year to keep people safe around the coast of the UK

SARCNET @ MDRC

New for 2018, the SARCNET Tuesday night STEM Workshops will be held at the earlier time of 4:00pm after school. The workshop will be open to a wider range of primary school students who demonstrate a real interest in STEM. There are new activities planned for this year including programming Raspberry PIs and building Software Defined Radios. Note: There are currenly no Tuesday night workshops being held at Moorabbin and District Radio Club.

SARCNET @ Churchill National Park

The School Amateur Radio Club students (shown here wearing their high-viz vests) will be operating a solar-powered, shortwave radio station at Churchill National Park, on Sunday 12 November from 10am to 4pm.

Everyone is welcome to participate in this fun event. It is part of the World-Wide Flora and Fauna in Amateur Radio program, which promotes awareness, conservation and protection of our precious National Parks. This year, SARCNET radio station VK3SRC, will also be an entrant in the Keith Roget Memorial National Park Awards. Participation certificates will be available to everyone making a "Park to Park" contact on the day. Students will learn about shortwave radio and get to talk with many other radio operators wanting to contact the Churchill National park. Meet at the BBQ Shelter, Churchill Park Drive, Lysterfield (Melways 82 C11). There will be a free BBQ lunch at 12:30. Please BYO drinks. Parents can bring some chairs, have a picnic and enjoy a relaxing afternoon in the park.

REGISTER: To register for this free event, please click on the following link and tell us the number of children and adults attending: info@sarcnet.org.

SARCNET International Arduino Challenge

To welcome three new schools to SARCNET and to get to know each other better we are having an Arduino challenge. The idea is to start with an already working program and to hack it to do something really cool. First, get the Arduino IDE running on your PC and attach your favourite Arduino board. Connect an LED, in series with a 470 ohm resistor, between any numbered pin (say pin 9) and GND.

Open a new sketch, copy and run the following program:

void setup() {
pinMode(9, OUTPUT);
}
void loop() {
digitalWrite(9, HIGH);
delay(100);
digitalWrite(9, LOW);
delay(100);
}

Now, to create your own project: Add more LEDs, if you like, and change the code to make the LEDs flash in a really cool sequence. Build the Arduino and LEDs into a cardboard model. Take a video of your working project so that everyone can see what you have done. Note: To keep it simple we are only using LEDs and the functions shown above. Here are some project suggestions. It doesn't matter if you choose the same project as someone else as long as you do it yourself.

Emergency flasher beacon (On-Off or SOS. 1 LED). Bike light.
Hypnotic OWL (2 LED eyes) – Substitute your own cardboard animal or robot.
Traffic lights (3, 6 or 12 LEDs)
Airport runway approach lights (white) or port channel markers (red/green) (5 LEDs)
Arrow sign (8 LEDs)
Wearable Electronics: Name Tag (Morse code), brooch, pendant, earrings or necklace
Roulette wheel or Dice (may need help to randomize it)
7-Segment LED Timer or Bar-graph LED Display
Christmas tree lights
Modern art or home decoration

SARCNET @ FoBI, Tasmania

As part of National Science Week we will be running all day Electronics Prototyping Workshops at the Festival of Bright Ideas in Hobart, Tasmania. The event is free with a schools day on Friday 11 August 2017 and a public day on Saturday 12 August 2017.

According to the organiser's web site https://festivalofbrightideas.com.au/:

"FoBI is a festival with a difference. Created for our community, FoBI is an inclusive celebration of the Tasmanian science sector showcasing engaging hands-on activities, displays, workshops, performances, lectures and tours. It focuses on innovative and inspiring aspects of STEM (science, engineering, technology and mathematics) with a view to providing an educational, aspirational and family friendly experience for Hobart residents and visitors."

School students and members of the public will be able to:

"Use electronic components to assemble a working circuit. Learn about electronic components, their circuit symbols and how to read a schematic diagram. Insert the components into a reusable prototyping board, connect a battery and watch it work! No soldering required. Return the kit for free or take home your creation for $5. Includes a printed circuit board and instruction booklet for home constructors."

SARCNET @ Hahndorf, South Australia

This is a free and exclusive opportunity for Hahndorf Primary School Students to get some extra hands-on experience with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) at Hahndorf Oval on Sunday 21 May 2017 from 12:00pm to 4:00pm.

Students from years 1 through 7, accompanied by a parent or guardian, will participate in a range of organised activities including:

Shortwave and Line-of-Sight communications
Use of Portable Radio Equipment
On-air and Emergency Procedures
Call signs, Radio Alphabets and Codes
Hidden Transmitter Hunts
Locations, Bearings and Direction Finding
Navigation and Triangulation

There will also be working, hands-on demonstrations of:

Earth-Moon-Earth Communications
Microwave and Digital Television
Digital Voice and Data Communications
Portable operations from Mountain Peaks and Parks
A High-Altitude Balloon Launch and Tracking

This event is presented by the School Amateur Radio Club Network (SARCNET) in conjunction with the 2017 Annual General Meeting of the Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA).

PARENTS: Why not bring along your lunch and some camp chairs and have a relaxing time while your kids have fun, make new friends and learn new skills! Your kids will be wearing yellow hi-viz vests for the duration of the event. Presenters have current WWC cards.

TEACHERS: Come along and ask about how you can introduce more hands-on STEM activities in your classes.

REGISTER: To receive a detailed program prior to the event and to register for your name tag and afternoon tea, please send us an email with the number of child and adult attendees to: info@sarcnet.org.

BROCHURE: Please download the brochure here.

SARCNET @ MDRC

This is now a regular Tuesday night weekly event at the Moorabbin and District Radio Club (entrance opposite 68 Turner Road, Highett). From 6:00pm to 7:30pm students receive one-on-one and group tuition in Electronics, Soldering and Microcontrollers. If you are interested in joining the small group, aged 4 to 14, please contact us at info@sarcnet.org.

MDRC also has an adult group meeting from time to time. If interested please contact secretary@mdrc.org.au.

Note: There are currenly no Tuesday night workshops being held at Moorabbin and District Radio Club.

2017 ANZAC DAY AMATEUR RADIO SPECIAL EVENT

The School Amateur Radio Club kids and the Melbourne Region Cub Scouts will be joining forces again this year to participate in group activities, displays, demonstrations and challenging missions during an ANZAC day special event at the Moorabbin and District Radio Club (entrance opposite 68 Turner Road, Highett), 25 April 2017 from 10am to 4pm.

The event includes an ANZAC day commemoration, BBQ lunch, morning and afternoon tea.

This all-day family event is for school children, scouts and young aspiring amateur radio enthusiasts.

Group activities include:

SARC electronic circuit board soldering demonstrations
Scout proficiency badge activities
Line-of-sight and shortwave communications
Portable, solar-powered, emergency communications
First Aid and CPR demonstrations
Hidden transmitter hunts, direction finding, navigation and triangulation

Timetable:

1000 ANZAC day commemoration
1015 The Fascinating History of Radio in Australia
1045 The Amazing world of Amateur Radio
1115 Morning tea
1130 Electronic Kit Construction
1230 BBQ lunch and drinks
1300 Search and Rescue Mission
1400 Afternoon tea
1415 Search and Rescue Mission continues
1600 Finish

BROCHURE: Please download the brochure here.

REGISTER: For more information and to register for the event please send an email to info@sarcnet.org indicating how many adults and children will be attending.

PARENTS: Why not bring along some camp chairs and have a relaxing time while your kids have fun, make new friends and learn new skills!

2016 JAMBOREE ON THE AIR

After our very successful ANZAC Day Special Amateur Radio Event, the School Amateur Radio Club Network (SARCNET) and the Melbourne Region Scouts will again join forces to present the annual Jamboree On The Air. The event will be held over two days at Churchill National Park, Churchill Park Drive Lysterfield on the weekend of October 15-16 2016 from 10am to 4pm each day. The event will cater for both Scout Badges and SARC Awards, enabling children to gain proficiency with skills best practiced outdoors.

BBQ Lunch both days
Shortwave Amateur Radio Station – VK3SRC/CUBS100
10-Minute Amateur Radio Assisted “Nature” Walk (SARC “VHF/UHF Communications” Activity)
6.4km Amateur Radio Assisted “Trig Point” Walk (SARC “Summit Activation” Mission)
Chasing Summits On The Air and WWFF Parks (SARC “HF Communications” Activity)
Build an Amateur Radio VHF station (SARC “Shipwrecked” Mission)
Amateur Radio Direction Finding (SARC “Search and Rescue” Mission)
Amateur Radio Satellite demo (SARC “Space: The Final Frontier” Mission)

BROCHURE: Please download the brochure here.

REGISTER: For more information and to register for the event please send an email to info@sarcnet.org indicating how many adults and children will be attending each day.

PARENTS: Why not bring along some camp chairs and have a relaxing time while your kids have fun, make new friends and learn new skills!

2016 ANZAC DAY AMATEUR RADIO SPECIAL EVENT

See our draft Amateur Radio magazine article

The School Amateur Radio Club Network and the Melbourne Region Scouts will be joining forces to present an ANZAC DAY AMATEUR RADIO SPECIAL EVENT at the 1st Bentleigh Scout Hall, Victory Park, 21 Patterson Rd Bentleigh on Monday 25 April 2016 from 9am to 4pm.

This all-day family event is for schools, scouts and young aspiring amateur radio enthusiasts. It includes:

0900 Official opening
0915 Group activities 1
0945 Morning tea
1000 High Altitude Balloon launch and tracking
1030 Group activities 2
1100 ANZAC day commemoration
1130 Joint search and rescue mission 1
1230 BBQ lunch and drinks
1320 Amateur satellite demo
1330 Group activities 3
1400 Group activities 4
1430 Joint search and rescue mission 2
1530 Afternoon tea
1600 Finish

Group activities include:

First Aid - CPR demonstrations
SARC electronics, prototyping and circuit board soldering demonstration
Scout proficiency badge activities
Amateur satellite, shortwave, line-of-sight and weak signal communications
Portable, solar-powered, emergency communications
Hidden transmitter hunt, direction finding, navigation and triangulation

PARENTS: Why not bring along some camp chairs and have a relaxing time while your kids have fun, make new friends and learn new skills!