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Triplexer or Diplexer? How to Run HF, VHF and UHF Down One Coax

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  Three coax cables, one hole in the shed wall, and a connector that definitely looked smaller before you fitted it. That’s usually when sharing a feedline starts to sound sensible. A triplexer can put three separate frequency ranges onto one coax cable, while a diplexer handles two. For a station running HF, meaning high frequency, alongside VHF (very high frequency) and UHF (ultra high frequency), that can save a fair bit of cable. It can also make a mast installation easier to manage. Fewer cables to support. Less wrestling at the wall entry. There’s a catch, naturally. The filters have to suit the actual frequencies, and the boxes need to go in the right places. You’ll also need to account for signal loss and check what happens if one radio transmits while another is listening. We’ll work through those decisions here, including the difference between a band splitter and the duplexer used on a repeater. The installation scenes below are illustrative examples, rather than accoun...
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Remotely Accessed Radio Station: Running Your Home Rig from the Caravan on NBN, 4G or Starlink

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  Picture the caravan at dusk. The kettle's finished, the chairs are out and you're chatting to another amateur through the antenna back home, 1,500 kilometres away. There's no mast beside the van and no coax through the window. The neighbour assumes you're on a video call. Close enough. That's the appeal of a remotely accessed radio station. Your familiar rig stays in the shack while you operate from wherever your Australian travels take you, provided the internet connection and station arrangements are up to it. Remote ham radio lets you keep using the antenna you've spent years getting right without rebuilding the station at every overnight stop. For grey nomads away for months, that makes sense. Australia has plenty of room for travelling and rather less consistent mobile coverage. The trick is accepting that the internet becomes part of the station, including its occasional bad manners. Before packing the headset, you need to understand the home connection...
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Digital Modes in Amateur Radio: What Australian Operators Are Actually Using

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  Digital modes let a computer encode and decode radio signals, allowing contacts at signal levels where voice simply disappears. The latest digital modes in amateur radio are not all about novelty: some are built for weak signals, some for an actual chat, and some for passing messages when ordinary communications are unavailable. Why digital took over the weak-signal end of the hobby A decade or so ago, digital operating often meant a rather earnest corner of the band occupied by RTTY, PSK31 and serial-port enthusiasts. Now it is every day. Open an HF waterfall on a quiet evening and you will see narrow, orderly traces where there might otherwise be only atmospheric noise. Digital modes trade speed and free-form conversation for decoding ability. A computer can recognise a structured signal that your ear cannot pull from the hiss. For an operator on a small suburban block or in a Perth strata unit with no practical antenna, that can be the difference between contacts and static....
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Ham Radio Events, Hamfests and Field Days in Australia: What's On and What to Bring

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  Australia's ham radio events and meetups in australia run on hamfests, club field days, contest weekends and year-round portable programmes. Most welcome a visitor, a new callsign and often someone with no radio at all. ham radio australia is a surprisingly social hobby once you leave the shack; check the organiser notice before travelling, because dates and venues move around. Hamfests: the tables are the point A hamfest is part swap meet, part reunion and part warning about what happens when a shed becomes a museum. Expect radios, meters, components, antenna hardware and the odd object nobody can identify but somebody clearly needs. Get there early if you are after a particular thing. The good gear goes quickly, but so does the chance to have a proper look before the aisle fills up. Hamfest pricing is a negotiation that starts the moment you pick something up. For a second-hand transceiver, ask to see it powered up. Check receive on more than one band, try every control and ...
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