In the energy capital of Victoria, where powerlines crisscross the Latrobe Valley, the Eastern Zone Amateur Radio Club (VK3BEZ) has been pushing the boundaries of wireless technology for 85 years. From its Morwell base, this club operates one of Australia's most sophisticated amateur radio networks, where members routinely bounce signals off the moon and experiment with frequencies high enough to measure in millimeters.
A Legacy of Technical Excellence
The club's impressive infrastructure includes:
• Five repeater systems spanning VHF/UHF/SHF bands
• Australia's most comprehensive beacon network (2m through 3cm)
• D-STAR digital repeater (VK3RTY) linking to global networks
• Mt Tassie's VK3RLV - the region's primary 2m repeater with 100km+ coverage
"We're probably the only country club in Australia running a 24GHz beacon," says President Peter Freeman VK3PF, referring to their cutting-edge millimeter-wave experiments.
Monthly Technical Gatherings
The club meets:
🗓 1st Thursday monthly (except January)
⏰ 7:30pm sharp
📍 8 Holmes Rd, Morwell
🔧 Informal Thursday night work sessions between meetings
Recent highlights include:
• EME (moon bounce) operations using the 2m band
• Homebrew microwave transceiver projects
• Digital voice mode comparisons
Signature Events & Weekly Nets
📡 GippsTech (July) - Victoria's premier regional technical conference
📻 Sunday 8pm net on VK3RLV (146.8MHz) - one of Gippsland's longest-running
🛰 Regular satellite operations using AO-91, SO-50 and QO-100
Emergency & Experimental Focus
Members actively:
✅ Support WICEN emergency communications
✅ Develop APRS position tracking systems
✅ Study aircraft enhancement propagation
✅ Pioneer microwave band experimentation
Join Gippsland's Radio Pioneers
The club welcomes:
1️⃣ Newcomers through tailored training
2️⃣ Technical specialists for advanced projects
3️⃣ Visitors to monthly meetings
Contact:
📞 0427 388 044 (President)
🌐 vk3bez.org
📻 Monitor VK3RLV repeater Thursday nights
In a region where communications reliability is critical, VK3BEZ members keep Gippsland connected - from valley floors to the edges of space.
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[Did You Know?]
The club's Mt Tassie repeater site (elevation 740m) provides coverage across Gippsland's Latrobe Valley to Wilsons Promontory. Their 3cm beacon is among the few amateur signals at this frequency in the Southern Hemisphere, used for tropospheric ducting experiments.
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