2024 VKFF NATIONAL GET TOGETHER

2024 VKFF NATIONAL
GET TOGETHER.

Bendigo, Victoria.

The 2024 VKFF National Get Together will be held in Bendigo, Victoria, on Friday 25th, Saturday 26th, & Sunday 27th October 2024.

The event will include a Friday evening dinner at the Hotel Shamrock, various guest speakers during the day at the Lakeside Hotel, a Saturday evening meal at the Lakeside Hotel, a Sunday morning BBQ breakfast, followed by numerous park activations.

If you are interested in attending, please complete the registration form below and deposit the appropriate amount of money into the VKFF bank account.

You MUST register to attend. 'Walk ups' will not be accepted.

Registration for the event closes on Friday 11th October 2024.

On this page you will find information on the following:-

how to register for the event
cost
payment
a list of attendees
special merchandise on sale
details on the Friday evening dinner
details on the Saturday presentations
details on the Saturday evening dinner
details on the Sunday morning BBQ
raffle details
a list of VKFF parks near Bendigo

REGISTER YOUR ATTENDANCE AT THE EVENT.

If you intend to attend the 2024 VKFF National Get Together, please complete the form below.

Please indicate what events you will be attending.

Please ensure that you have paid the appropriate amount of money into the WWFF Australia bank account and indicate that you have paid.

Registration for the event closes on Friday 11th October 2024.

COST.

Friday evening dinner - meals and drinks at own cost

Saturday presentations - $20.00 (includes morning & afternoon tea)

Saturday evening meal - meals and drinks at own cost (a la carte menu)

Sunday BBQ breakfast - $10.00

PAYMENT.

Payment must be made prior to 26th September 2024.

Please specify your callsign during payment.

Account name - WWFF Australia
BSB - 105 010
Account number - 125 945 440

ATTENDEES.

Below is a list of people who have registered for the event and paid into the VKFF Australia bank account.

Chris VK1CHW
Andrew VK1DA
Ian VK1DI
Alan VK2COD
Gerard VK2IO
Peter VK2KNV
Pete VK2LP
Rob VK2VH (VK4AAC)
Liz VK2XSE
Trevor VK3DCQ
Dean VK3DL
Julie VK3FOWL
Mandi VK3FQSO
Geoffrey VK3GCM
Graeme VK3GRK
Craig VK3KLI
Bryan VK3LF
Daryl VK3MCB
Geoff VK3MGM
Mal VK3OAK
Peter VK3PAH
Peter VK3PF
Peter VK3PWG
Steve VK3SPX
Geoff VK3SQ
Bob VK3SSS
Bob VK3SX
Peter VK3TKK
David VK3TUN
Mark VK3UA
Stephen VK3WSG
Wayne VK3XF
Anthony VK3YSA
Joe VK3YSP
Tony VK3YV
Peter VK3ZPF
Ray VK4NH
Wayne VK5AAF
Sue VK5AYL
John VK5DM
Chris VK5FR
Wendy VK5GMA
Ivan VK5HS
Stef VK5HSX
Andy VK5LA
Marija VK5MAZ
Mark VK5MK
Paul VK5PAS
Craig VK5QA
Richard VK5ZNC
Hans VK6XN

SPECIAL MERCHANDISE.

A number of special items are on offer to be purchased by attendees at the 2024 VKFF National Get Together.

This includes coffee mugs, beanies, baseball caps, polo shirts, and stubby holders.

How to order?

All orders for merchandise and all queries are to placed via [email protected].

Please be clear on your order with regards to the product you are ordering, the amount you are ordering, and the colour options, etc.

Orders for merchandise must be made before the end of Friday 13th September 2024.

Payment is to be made into the VKFF Australia bank account. Please ensure you include your name & callsign when making payment.

World Wide Flora & Fauna - Australia
BSB 105-010
Account - 125945440.

The merchandise will be handed to you at the 2024 VKFF National Get Together.

Stubby holder.

$6.40 each

Mugs.

$10.00 each

2 sided.

side 1 - 204 VKFF National Get Together logo
side 2 - WWFF logo

Options for colour of handle:-

orange
green
black
red
yellow
blue
pink

Caps.

$24.99 each

Colour Options:-

Black with yellow logo
Black with green logo

Navy with yellow logo
Navy with green logo

Blue with yellow logo
Blue with green logo

Beanies.

$29.00 each

Polo shirts.

$27.00 each

Colour options:-

Navy with yellow logo
Navy with green logo

Black with yellow logo
Black with green logo

Forest green with yellow logo
Forest green with green logo

FRIDAY 25th OCTOBER 2024.

An evening meal will be held at 6.30 p.m. at the Hotel Shamrock, corner of Pall Mall & William Street, Bendigo,

Above:- The Hotel Shamrock. Image c/o Trip Advisor.

SATURDAY 26th OCTOBER 2024.

The Saturday presentations will be held in Lake Drive Room 2 at the Lakeside Hotel, 286 Napier Street, Bendigo.

The presentations commence at 8.30 a.m. sharp. Please do not be late.

Above:- The Lakeside Hotel. Image c/o https://www.lakesidehotel.com.au/

Above images c/o https://www.lakesidehotel.com.au/

OUR MC.

Our MC for the Saturday presentations and Saturday evening is Chris VK5FR.

GUEST SPEAKERS - SATURDAY PRESENTATIONS.

0830-0840           Welcome - Paul VK5PAS, VKFF National Co-Ordinator

0840–0910          An introduction to the WWFF/VKFF program – Paul VK5PAS

0910–0940          Tips for Activators and Hunters – Peter VKZ3PF

0940–1010          Mapping – How to find a VKFF park – Hans VK6XN

1010–1040          Morning tea

1040–1110          Activating parks on King Island – Peter VK3PWG & Malcolm VK3OAK

1110–1140          Satellites from VKFF parks – David VK3TUN

1140–1210          Snake awareness & safety – Tameeka, Greater Bendigo Snake Control

1210–1310          Lunch

1310–1340          parksnpeaks website – Marija VK5MAZ

1340–1410          Activator logs & Logsearch – Peter VK3PF

1410–1440          Afternoon tea

1440–1510          CW & digital modes from VKFF parks – Andy VK5LA

1510–1540          Antennas and power supplies – Ivan VK5HS

1540–1610          Question and answer session with the VKFF Team

1610   Conclusion – Paul VK5PAS

Paul VK5PAS.

Lives at:
5 acre property at Ashbourne, south-south-east of Adelaide.
Personal info:
Married to Marija VK5MAZ. Has 2 grown up children & 2 beautiful grandchildren.
Working life:
Recently retired after 40 years in the Police Force, the majority of that time as a Detective
When licenced:
June 2010 with Foundation call of VK5FPAS. Upgraded to Standard call of VK5PAS in June 2011.
Member of:

Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA)
Radio Amateurs Society Australia (RASA)
American Radio Relay League (ARRL)
Adelaide Hills Amateur Radio Society (AHARS). Former Vice President of the club. Currently is the webmaster and historian for the club.

Other info:
previously a WIA Director and member of the WIA Awards Committee. Is an official card checker for ARRL awars, e.g. DXCC. Is an official card checker for CQ awards, e.g. Worked All Zones. Is a Net Control station for the Australia New Zealand Africa (ANZA) DX Net.
Other callsigns:
Holds the call of VK9PAS and has operated from Norfolk Island.
Special event calls:
Has operated under numerous special event callsigns
DXpeditions: Was a team member of the VK5TIL Troubridge Island trip. Was a team member of the VK5FIL Flinders Island trip.
WWFF/VKFF:
Since the inception of the VKFF program in 2013, has been the VKFF National Co-Ordinator. Previously held the role of International Chairperson of WWFF. Is the National Co-Ordinator of the ZLFF New Zealand program. Has operated from Belgium and Germany in WWFF parks and SOTA peaks as ON4IPA.
WWFF/VKFF stats:

2,597 WWFF references worked in 60 different DXCC entities
- 2,036 of those are VKFF, the remainder from overseas
521 WWFF reference areas activated
VKFF Hunter Honour Roll 2,025 issued
VKFF Activator Honour Roll 500 issued
2,169 Park to Park contacts

Other interests in the hobby:
Enjoys working DX. Currently has worked 290 DXCC entities. Is active in all portable aspects of the hobby.
Other hobbies:
Other than amateur radio, hobbies include driving his 1972 Valiant VH Ranger, wine collecting, gardening, family history, short wave listening. Loves travelling around Australia to obscure and remote locations and activating parks whilst there.

Peter VK3ZPF

Lives at:
Peter lives in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne.
Personal info:
Peter is married with 3 adult children
When licenced:
Peter was first licenced in 1984 with the Limited licence and call sign VK3ZPF. He has held that call sign ever since.
Other info:
In 1989 Peter started working portable providing 2 metre comms support for Scout hiking events 3 time a year. The licence restructure in October 2005 gave Peter access to all the HF bands, with his first logged HF contact in April 2006 from a scout camp in the Wombat State Forest. Peter started working toward the Keith Roget Memorial National Parks Award in late 2008, SOTA in 2016 and VKFF from 2013. Peter has an amateur radio blog vk3zpf.com. He is the producer of vk port-a-log, an Android application to assist with logging functions associated with various portable programs including WWFF.
WWFF/VKFF:
Peter has been the VKFF VK3 State Rep since June 2018. In that time he has uploaded more than 2500 activator logs and processed more than 800 VKFF certificates. Why VKFF? Peter enjoys setting up and working portable where there is no noise and is able to run 100 Watts without hearing "Did you break the Internet - again?"
WWFF/VKFF Stats:

1,451 WWFF references worked in 13 different DXCC entities
- 1,416 of those are VKFF, the remainder from overseas
128 WWFF reference areas activated
VKFF Hunter Honour Roll 1,400 issued
VKFF Activator Honour Roll 100 issued
751 Park to Park contacts

Other hobbies:
Other than amateur radio Peter's interests include scouting.

Peter VK3PWG

Lives at:
Peter lives at Ballarat, Victoria.
Personal info:
Peter is married to Jill with 3 adult children 3 grand children.
When licenced:
Peter was first licenced in 2016.
Member of:
Ballarat Amateur Radio Group (BARG)
Other callsigns:
VK3TTK.
Other info:
Inspired by Peter VK3YE and his videos. Had an interest at high school and took 50 years to take it up.
WWFF/VKFF Stats:

328 WWFF references worked in w different DXCC entities
29 WWFF reference areas activated
VKFF Hunter Honour Roll 300 issued
Silver VKFF Activator issued
64 Park to Park contacts

Other interests in the hobby:
Recently taken up learning CW, nt easy for a septuagenerian. QRP.
Other hobbies:
Caravanning, motorcycles, indoor bias bowls.

Malcolm VK3OAK

Lives at:
Mal lives at Buninyong, just outside of Ballarat.
Personal info:
Mal;'s XYL is VK3JEN. They have 2 children who both held licences at one point.
When licenced:
Mal was first licenced in 2012.
Other callsigns:
VK3GUM.
WWFF/VKFF:
VKFF provides an opportunity to get out to some parks that Mal had otherwise may not have even realised were there.
WWFF/VKFF Stats:

592 WWFF references worked in 2 different DXCC entities
138 WWFF reference areas activated
VKFF Hunter Honour Roll 575 issued
VKFF Activator Honour Roll 125 issued
413 Park to Park contacts

Other hobbies:
Cycling and bushwalking.

David VK3TUN/VK5DG

Lives at:
David lives at Mount Gambier, South Australia.
Personal info:
Married to Catriona (who also comes along to most parks for a good walk), two children
When licenced:
David was first licenced in 1987.
Other callsigns:
VK5DG, VK5DG/9.
WWFF/VKFF:
I had done some John Moyle Field Days but the spark was the Keith Roget National Parks Award. I wanted to be the first to earn it via satellite.
WWFF/VKFF Stats:

196 WWFF references worked in 11 different DXCC entities
224 WWFF reference areas activated
VKFF Hunter Honour Roll 175 issued
VKFF Activator Honour Roll 150 issued
202 Park to Park contacts

Other interests in the hobby:
satellites, working HF DX, remote station, kit building, QRP
Other hobbies:
travel

Hans VK6XN

Lives at:
Hans lives in the inner southern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia.
When licenced:
Hans found his way into amateur radio in the late 1970s via the then very popular 11 metre band such as it was at that time.  It gave Hans a desire to find out how it all worked through some education.  Hans gained his first amateur radio licence in September 1979 with the Novice callsign of VK6NJF.  By late 1981 Hans had obtained the Advanced callsign of VK6XN which he still holds today
Other info:
Through the early years Hans was active in most aspects of amateur radio including DXing, RTTY, Packet Radio and satellites (both low earth orbit and OSCAR 10).
Eventually however, a career as an industrial chemist, marriage, children, and life in general caused Hans to drift away from all radio activities.  Following his retirement in 2016, Hans returned to amateur radio with a renewed enthusiasm though little idea of direction after 20 years absence.
WWFF/VKFF:
It was at that time that Hans was introduced to WWFF by a long time friend VK6ADF. One park and Hans was hooked.  Hans has since taken on the role of VK6 & VK8 VKFF State Rep.
VKFF stats:

459 WWFF references worked in 9 different DXCC entities
- 449 of those are VKFF, the remainder from overseas
73 WWFF reference areas activated
VKFF Hunter Honour Roll 425 issued
VKFF Activator 50 issued
255 Park to Park contacts

Portable equipment:
Hans’ portable station includes a Yaesu FT-857d mounted in a go-box, a Perite vertical antenna, a home brew end fed half wave which is resonant on 80, 40, 20, 15, & 10m.
Other hobbies:
Other than amateur radio Hans interests include reception of APT weather satellite pictures, photography of merchant shipping, boating in his 18 foot runabout, Astro-photography, cargo cruising, and the occasional bit of fishing. In 2015 Hans spent 6 weeks as a passenger on board a container ship travelling from Melbourne to London via New Zealand, Panama and USA. Sadly at that time he wasn't carrying any radio gear so a great opportunity was lost. In August 2018 Hans boarded another cargo ship in Southhampton and was able to operate maritime mobile throughout the journey to Port Kelang in Malaysia. From there Hans transferred to another ship for the run down to Fremantle, also operating marine mobile.

Marija VK5MAZ

Lives at:
Ashbourne on a small rural property
Personal info:
Is married to Paul VK5PAS. Proud grandma of Flynn and Iris.
Working life:
Works in the insurance industry
When licenced:
First licenced in April 2016 with the Foundation call of VK5FMAZ. Upgraded in April 2021 to the Standard call of VK5MAZ
Member of:

Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA)
Australian Ladies Amateur Radio Association (ALARA)

Other info:
Was formerly the ALARA Contest Manager
Other callsigns:
Has operated from Norfolk Island as VK5FMAZ/9.
Special event calls:
Has operated under the following special event callsigns: VI10AF, VK100AF, VK90ABC, VI80LAN. Was part of the VK5TIL Troubridge Island DXpedition.
WWFF/VKFF:

1,074 WWFF references worked in 21 different DXCC entities
- 992 of those are VKFF, the remainder from overseas
223 WWFF reference areas activated
VKFF Hunter Honour Roll 975 issued
VKFF Activator Honour Roll 220 issued
691 Park to Park contacts

Other interests in the hobby:
Enjoys working DX and has worked 149 different DXCC entities. Marija has just started using FT8.
Other hobbies:
Other than amateur radio enjoys walking and travelling around Australia and overseas. Loves travelling and combining park activities with travel to different parts of Australia.

Peter VK3PF

Lives at:
Churchill, Victoria
When licenced:
16 January 1979 as VK3VBA and VK3YPV. Became VK3KAI in December 1981. Added VK3PF in December 2010.
Member of:
Eastern Zone Amateur Radio Club Inc (EZARC) since 1987.
Committees & Boards:
Committee member of EZARC since 1987. President 1990 – 2000, 2002 - 2019, 2022 - current. Chair of WIA Publications Committee and Editor Amateur Radio magazine, December 2005 to end June 2019. Member of WIA National Technical Advisory Committee (Microwaves) 2007 - .
Other info:
Initiator of the Gippsland Technical Conference (GippsTech) and Chair of Organising Committee since 1998.
WWFF/VKFF:
Peter has had a long interest in portable operating, initially focussed on VHF, UHF and microwave weak signal communications. Peter became interested in Parks operations in 2010 following the revitalisation of the Keith Roget Memorial National Parks Award. This led on to participation in SOTA and then VKFF.
WWFF/VKFF stats:

2,695 WWFF references worked in 23 different DXCC entities
- 2,553 of those are VKFF, the remainder from overseas
347 WWFF reference areas activated
VKFF Hunter Honour Roll 2,550 issued
VKFF Activator Honour Roll 325 issued
2,191 Park to Park contacts

Why involved in VKFF:
Having always enjoyed being in the outdoors, combining amateur radio activities with being out in the field was an obvious step. Fresh air, the sound of wind in the trees and birds, perhaps a babbling stream… enjoyable and mind cleansing! Add the benefit of (usually) low RF noise conditions, the combination makes field operations a simple choice!

Andy VK5LA

Lives at:
Andy lives in the Riverland in S.A.
When licenced:
Andy was first licenced via a WIA 6 month course at the old Burley Griffith building at Thebarton in Sept. 1995 as VK5XAW.  He upgraded to VK5KAW after about 4 months with 5wpm Morse…(listening to unsquelched 10m FM will motivate you!)  In late 1999 he upgraded to VK5LA
Member of:
Andy is an active and current member of the Riverland Radio Club. He has held all office positions several times, currently the secretary.
Other info:
Andy did a fair bit of VHF and above and lots of Packet radio as well. Joined SCARC when he got my licence. Was on the roster for the WIA 80m Sunday Morning broadcast/callback.  Andy had lots of fun on 15 and 10m DX for a couple of years before moving to the Riverland mid 1998.  Helped out with transmitting the twice weekly slow Morse sessions with Kingsley VK5AKN(SK).  Did a fair bit of RTTY contesting in those days. Andy wWas one of the original 20 examiners for the foundation licence at its introduction.  Was fairly inactive for a few years while the kids were young, until he became interested in Microwaves around 2005 and built transverters for all bands to 10Ghz and participated in many VHF/UHF field days, winning the Spring VHF/UHF Field Day 8hr Nationally.   Andy really enjoys getting outdoors and the whole drive, setup and operate, trip.
He is also a very keen homebrew antenna guy and loves the associated tech and gadgets with ham radio.
He has recently started concentrating on chasing DX parks and the awards that go with them, especially using CW. Have had some ripper CW P2P’s with USA and UK stations recently!
WWFF/VKFF:
In 2013 Andy started chasing SOTA summits amd became a Shack Sloth in 2013.
He heard about VKFF via Larry VK5LY(SK) and gradually started hunting parks and in 2017 started activating parks.  Recently began using Morse, hunting and activating parks after VK2IO did a massive Rove to Queensland, activating many parks with his KX3. He couldn’t hear him well enough on QRP SSB to work him, but could hear him on CW, hence the motivation.   CW adds another dimension to WWFF
Other hobbies:
Other than amateur radio Andy’s interests include playing the guitar in a band.

Ivan VK5HS

Lives at:
Renmark in the Riverland region of S.A.
Personal life:
Is married and has 4 grand children all boys. Just recently celebrated his 50 year wedding anniversary
Working life:
Is retired after a career as a mechanic, firefighter, and a radio tech
When licenced:
first licenced in 1989 as a Novice with the call of VK5PAW. Upgraded a few years later to VK5HS
Member of:

Riverland Radio Club
Has held the positions of President, Secretary and Treasurer with the club

Other info:
Co-ordinates and looks after the local Riverland repeaters VK5RLD 2m and VK5RMK 70 cm. Loans radio and equipment to new members. Co-ordinator of the Riverland Radio Club’s club education, training and examinations. Has run the communication for the Variety Club Bashes for more than 25 years. That activity gave him a lot of HF radio experience in operating portable
WWFF/VKFF:
Became involved in park activations a long time ago when Larry VK5LY (now a silent key) started in the parks program. Ivan’s grandfather and father were wood cutters so he spent his childhood in the scrub and still prefers to be out in the bush enjoying his hobby of amateur radio
Other interests in the hobby:
Enjoys experimenting with antennas and testing them at park activations
Other hobbies:
Other than amateur radio Ivan’s interests include boating, caravaning and travel

STATIC DISPLAYS.

Andy VK5LA will have his fly wire vertical on display.
Ivan VK5HS will have his home brew half wave antenna and radiating element on display
Joe VK3YSP & Julie VK3FOWL will have a display on their pedestrian mobile station. They will also be setting up their portable station on Saturday during the lunch break in the park opposite the venue.

SATURDAY EVENING MEAL.

Commences 6.30 p.m.

Meals and drinks are to paid by the attendee.

An A la carte menu is available (see below).

SUNDAY 27th OCTOBER 2024.

A BBQ breakfast is planned for Sunday morning at 8.30 a.m. It is to be hosted by the Bendigo Amateur Radio & Electronics Club (BAREC) at their clubrooms at the Bendigo East Hall, 35 Lansell Street, East Bendigo.

Cost is $10.00 per person.