The VK5RWN AD 23cm data port has been placed into hibernation, (turned off), as a power saving mode.

Checks of the logs have revealed that the VK5RWN AD port has only been accessed about 3 known times since commissioning of the node in 2009. The Amateur Radio Experimenters Group (AREG) who manage the VK5RWN D-STAR system are trying to manage the ongoing costs of keeping VK5RWN on air. One of the biggest costs is the electricity bill for the site. Due almost no use of the 23cm data port, the decision has been made to put the AD port into hibernation thus saving some power costs.

If D-STAR users would like to use and experiment with the VK5RWN AD port, then they should contact the VK5RWN D-STAR Administrator, Ben VK5BB, (vk5bb@wia.org.au) or AREG (vk5arg@wia.org.au) and request for the AD port to be turned on again for the duration of experiments.

Further information may be found at www.areg.org.au

The VK5REX gateway computer died on Tuesday but it’s given good service, basically being up 24/7 since mid 2008. A new rack mount server has generously been donated by a fellow amateur. Whilst this is underway, Michael Carey plans on getting the Icom ID-RP2C D-Star controller back on the internet with the help of ircDDB Gateway.

The VK3RWN gateway should be back on air soon, a replacement gateway server is under testing.

ICOM will be again hosting the annual D-Star QSO Party on September 18-20th this year. It will start at 00:00 UTC and end 24:00 UTC so will run from Friday morning across Australia through to Monday morning Australia time. That’s 8am on the West Coast and 10am on the East Coast for start/end times on Friday/Monday.

All logs are due by October 20th and results will be out by 20th November.

You can see full details at: http://www.icom.co.jp/world/dqp/

Thanks Theo Kalkandis, VK3AP, of Icom Australia for the update.

Waratah Swinton VK4BQ advises the following:

We have a few users wondering what reflectors we listen on around the central QLD region. REF003c and DCS14b have both been down in recent times we wish to advertise our linking preference list.

1st choice DCS014B (DTMF D14B)
2nd choice DCS028B (DTMF D28B)
3rd choice XRF740A (DTMF B740A) / also adhoc via UR call STN389A
4th choice REF003C (DTMF *3C) – last choice as performance of this reflector is well below performance expectations

This list applies to VK4RBY Mackay, VK4RUS Sarina and VK4RBD Blackdowns Tableland.

Adrian VK4TUX wrote in to advise details about VK4RTQ located at the Vertel Site, New Englad in Toowoomba QLD. This DStar repeater runs on a Raspberry PI2, standard details are at http://www.dstar.org.au/vk4/vk4rtq/