[CW] VI3RA Radio Australia March 14 - 15 weekend

[Richard Knoppow]

    Seems like some retuning would need to be done especially to 
maintain directivity.
    Radio Australia is sorely missed, they put a strong and 
reliable signal into Los Angeles although it had a lot of 
selective fading. Same for Radio New Zealand.

On 2/20/2020 7:23 PM, D.J.J. Ring, Jr. wrote:
> *Hope they have some Morse.*
> *
> *
> *
> A Down Under special event will use former Radio Australia 
> international broadcast antennas.* Over the March 14 - 15 
> weekend, members of the Shepparton and District Amateur Radio 
> Club (SADARC <http://www.sadarc.org/>) in Australia will be on 
> the air as VI3RA (Radio Australia), connecting their 
> transceivers to the curtain array and rhombic antennas at the 
> former Radio Australia site in Shepparton. Radio Australia 
> ceased transmitting from the site in 2017. VI3RA will operate 
> on 40, 30, 20, 17, and 15 meters. "Local amateurs will be given 
> the unique opportunity to explore the use of high-gain antennas 
> whilst giving amateurs throughout the world a unique 
> opportunity to contact a station using such high-gain 
> antennas," said SADARC President Peter Rentsch, VK3FPSR 
> (Australia's call sign structure accommodates four-letter 
> suffixes). "This is a rare opportunity for amateur radio 
> operators, who are only allowed a peak output power of 400 W in 
> Australia when compared to 100 kW of Radio Australia 
> transmitters to hopefully achieve some remarkable communication 
> outcomes. We expect to get a gain of 15 dB on the lower 
> frequencies and at least 20 dB on 21 MHz." The special event is 
> being conducted in cooperation with BAI Communications 
> (Broadcast Australia). More information is on the club's website.
>

-- 
Richard Knoppow
1oldlens1 at ix.netcom.com
WB6KBL