Amateur Radio New South Wales

Amateur Radio New South Wales Amateur Radio New South Wales - VK2WI - Amateur Radio Club founded in 1910 in Sydney Australia. It also printed the "Amateur Radio" magazine.

Originally formed in 1910 as "The Institute of Wireless Telegraphy", then became "The Wireless Institute of Australia" our organisation is the oldest radio society in the world. The name "Wireless Institute of Australia (NSW Division)" was adopted in 1922. There followed separate state "divisions" which essentially took care of the members at a state and local level, there was also a Federal Divis

ion (based in Victoria), which amongst other things represented us all at a National and International level. Over a period of time there were various "arrangements" between the state divisions and the Federal division, especially to cover the cost of the magazine. In general membership of a state division meant that you were also a member of the Federal division and the membership fees were apportioned accordingly. In 2004 the organisation of what was generally called the "WIA" changed with the re-structure of the Federal Division into a National organisation which still represented its own members and other Hams at a National and International level, also retaining the publication of Amateur Radio magazine and absorbing various services previously provided by the state divisions (QSL Bureau etc). In general the state divisions reformed into large "clubs" located in their particular state. The WIA (NSW Division) signed an Implementation Agreement with the "National" Wireless Institute of Australia on December 10 , 2004. As a result, we have agreed to generally identify ourselves as "Amateur Radio New South Wales". UPDATE in 2018 The "Wireless Institute of Australia - New South Wales Division" changed the company name to "Amateur Radio New South Wales" to eliminate the confusion with the National "Wireless Institute of Australia". The major difference for Australia's amateur radio operators (and others interested in allied hobbies) was that to support and be involved in the activities of the National and the state based organizations they now needed to be financial members of the separate organizations. In general the new state based "clubs" continued to support the Ham Radio community at a local level. In fact most of "our" members are also members of WIA (National) and local clubs. The "Amateur Radio" magazine is also now available at your local newsagents as well as posted to "National" members. In the case of "Amateur Radio New South Wales" we provide regular broadcasts, repeaters and signal beacons on most Ham frequencies. We also provide technical advice on frequency allocations, Licence training and assessments. Field Days, Trash and Treasure events and Deceased Estate disposals sales are amongst the services we provide our members and also the general amateur radio community. We are currently expanding our services with a large shed on our Dural property. In fact I think our transmitting facility at Dural may now be unique in Australia as most other Ham broadcast are studio generated and re-broadcast on a local basis, whereas Dural covers most of the east coast of Australia and out into the Pacific region. We do re-broadcast a recording of the "National" WIA news and in turn our own broadcasts are re-transmitted by local clubs into areas or at times unavailable to Dural. Amateur Radio New South Wales (ARNSW) - by-annual (or five yearly) fees to cover services provided to its members and the Ham radio community, which (as mentioned above) include broadcast, repeater and beacon facilities from our property at Dural. ARNSW (in general) supports Hams in NSW.

The 2026 VK Shires Contest is Live!Whether you are a seasoned contester or looking to hunt down some rare Australian Loc...
06/06/2026

The 2026 VK Shires Contest is Live!

Whether you are a seasoned contester or looking to hunt down some rare Australian Local Government Areas (LGAs), now is the time to fire up your rig and get on the airwaves.
Contest Window:

* Starts: Saturday, 6 June at 00:00 UTC (10:00 AM AEST)
* Ends: Sunday, 7 June at 00:00 UTC (10:00 AM AEST)

Log Submission Deadline: 20 June 2026
Get those beams turning, find a clear frequency, and let's get those VK Shires into the logbook.
👉 Check rules, multipliers, and LGA lists: wia.org.au
👉 Submit your logs here: vklogchecker.com

🎉 Congratulations to the Oxley Region Amateur Radio Club on reaching a remarkable milestone — 50 Annual Field Days! 🎉Thi...
06/06/2026

🎉 Congratulations to the Oxley Region Amateur Radio Club on reaching a remarkable milestone — 50 Annual Field Days! 🎉

This weekend marks the club's 50th Annual Field Day, a testament to decades of dedication, friendship, technical excellence, and a shared passion for amateur radio. From humble beginnings to becoming one of the Mid North Coast's most enduring amateur radio events, the Field Day has brought together generations of operators, experimenters, traders, and enthusiasts.

A special congratulations also goes to everyone who has volunteered their time over the years to organise, support, and attend these events. Reaching fifty annual Field Days is no small achievement and reflects the strength of the amateur radio community in the region.

We wish all attendees a fantastic weekend of operating, learning, catching up with old friends, making new ones, and celebrating a proud tradition that has spanned half a century.

Here's to the next 50 years! 📻🎊

30/05/2026

Hola!

The current issue of All Access is now available from ARNSW which has just landed in email inboxes.

This edition includes member-focused updates, operating content, events information, and society news from across the organisation.

Buenos días to everyone on HF, UHF, VHF, and whatever frequency Facebook arguments operate on.
😎

Have you been eyeing off the “mesh world” lately? 👀There’s a growing community playing with off-grid LoRa mesh networks ...
07/05/2026

Have you been eyeing off the “mesh world” lately? 👀

There’s a growing community playing with off-grid LoRa mesh networks — no internet, low power, cheap gear on the 915 MHz ISM band.

It’s simple, accessible, and full of experimentation. Honestly, it feels a lot like how many of us first got into radio.

Sydney (and beyond) is starting to see some solid MeshCore coverage too — nodes and repeaters slowly building out something interesting.

What’s cool isn’t just the tech… it’s the people.

They’re learning RF, antennas, propagation, firmware — without really calling it that.

Maybe that’s worth paying attention to?

If you’re curious how it all works (especially the different AU 900 MHz settings), this is a great read:
👉 https://zindello.com.au/finding-the-sweet-spot-meshcore-lora-settings-in-the-australian-900mhz-band
Grab a drink, your favourite programming socks and enjoy the rabbit hole 😎

Thanks for the great response to the new ARNSW website. We had a small hiccup with the payment platform earlier today, b...
13/04/2026

Thanks for the great response to the new ARNSW website.

We had a small hiccup with the payment platform earlier today, but it’s now been fully fixed. Appreciate everyone’s patience and support.

📡 VK2Connect is here — and so is over 110 years of amateur radio history in NSW!ARNSW has been supporting radio operator...
12/04/2026

📡 VK2Connect is here — and so is over 110 years of amateur radio history in NSW!

ARNSW has been supporting radio operators across New South Wales since 1910, and today we're proud to launch VK2Connect — our brand-new member portal at arnsw.org.au

Those of you who remember the old website... we appreciate your patience. 😄 It served us well, but it was time for something that actually does justice to everything ARNSW has to offer.

✨ What's new:
🔐 Member portal — join, renew, and manage your membership entirely online
📅 Upcoming events calendar — courses, field days, and meetups all in one place
📻 VK2WI audio & news broadcasts — listen back to bulletins anytime
🌦 Live weather from the Dural TX site — because why not?

The new site is interactive, mobile-friendly, and built for the community. Head over and have a look — arnsw.org.au

🔑 A note on signing in: VK2Connect uses passkeys instead of passwords — no password to remember! Sign-in is verified via your mobile phone number, so please make sure we have your current number on file. If your details have changed or you’re having trouble getting in, we’re here to help:

💬 Message us here on Facebook or email us📧 [email protected]

🔒 A note on security: ARNSW will never ask for your password, payment details, or personal information via Facebook Messenger or social media. If you receive a message asking for these, do not respond — report it to us immediately at [email protected]

We look forward to seeing you on the portal — and on air!

73 de ARNSW 🔧

Wanna see something cool?This is an AWV DU9 cathode-ray tube test unit — a beautifully overbuilt piece of mid-century el...
29/03/2026

Wanna see something cool?

This is an AWV DU9 cathode-ray tube test unit — a beautifully overbuilt piece of mid-century electronics designed to visualise and verify CRT performance. Instead of a standard display, it uses internal phosphor targets and electrode structures to show beam shape, alignment, and emission characteristics in real time.

Manufactured roughly in the late 1940s through early 1960s, units like this sat on benches where technicians calibrated and diagnosed early television and radar tubes.

The glowing green you’re seeing is the electron beam exciting phosphor coatings — essentially the same principle that powered classic TVs, just exposed and made visible.

AWV (Amalgamated Wireless Valve Co.) was an Australian company formed in 1913, and they became a major player in radio, radar, and valve (vacuum tube) production — especially during WWII. They didn’t just assemble gear; they engineered and manufactured locally, which made Australia far less reliant on overseas electronics at the time.

Little trivia: AWV was closely tied to AWA (Amalgamated Wireless Australia), and a lot of their work fed directly into military and broadcast infrastructure. Gear like this wasn’t just test equipment — it helped shape the early backbone of modern communications.

Old glass, hot electrons, and a very analog kind of magic.

😎

Gosh, this is pretty.Who can guess what it is just by this photo?
21/03/2026

Gosh, this is pretty.

Who can guess what it is just by this photo?

20/03/2026

📣 ARNSW Annual General Meeting – Today at 11am

A reminder to all members that the ARNSW Annual General Meeting is being held today at *11:00am* at 63 Quarry Road, Dural.

Members who registered for online attendance will find their unique Zoom invitation in their email inbox from last night. Please use that link to join the meeting securely.

We look forward to seeing everyone—either in person at Dural or online via the registered link.

18/03/2026

Our email system has gone QRT.

ARNSW is currently experiencing email issues and we’re working with our hosting provider to restore normal service.

Stand by — we’ll provide an update as soon as we can.

In the mean time, We are contactable via Messenger here or leave a voicemail messsage on 02 9444 0123.

Address

63 Quarry Road
Dural, NSW
2158

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