Biography

Hi - Hello - Czesc - Hej - Bonjour - Dia Dhuit - Kon'nichiwa - Koa - Hola - Sawubona - Ciao

Thanks for looking me up.

I'm located about 30km (18 miles) north of the city of Brisbane in a place called North Lakes, Australia. North Lakes is about 6km 3-1/2 miles) from Deception Bay and about 46m (150 feet) above sea level with a good take off to the east.

I was first licensed in January 1996 and have progressively upgraded over the years to become a Full Call/ Advanced Radio Amateur.

VK4HBC (Novice Limited) 1996 - 1997.
VK4LAJ (Novice) 1997 - 2004.
VK4KSS (Combined Limited) 2002 - 2016.
VK4IM* (Advanced/ Full Call) 2004 - Current.

* See below for VK4IM call sign history.

I'm mostly on 20m & 10m SSB but I do venture onto other bands and check for openings regularly. I like a chat and am always keen to hear about the area you live in, things that interest you and what you have done to improve your station to make operating a little easier or better.

If you'd like to see some of my ham radio projects, please visit my website at: https://qsl.net/vk4im/ or perhaps what the weather is like in my neck of the woods, visit my Personal Weather Station (PWS) at https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/IBRISB3664 (Note: Switch between Celsius and Fahrenheit using the gear icon at the top right of the page.)

If you can hear me, I'd appreciate a signal report and a chat if you're keen.

QSL Information

Yes, I do QSL the old fashioned way. If you are not sure what to do see below for QSL information. Or ASK.

* DIRECT Preferred.
* INTERNATIONAL: Please include a self-addressed envelope or printed address sticker.
* No Stamp. NO IRC. I can't use them in Australia.
* Donations towards return postage are optional, but appreciated.
* AUSTRALIA ONLY: Please include a STAMPED self-addressed envelope.
* BUREAU Cards Accepted but NOT preferred.
* If you send it via the bureau, it can take years before I receive it... and I could be dead by then
* Logs are UPLOADED to QRZ, eQSL, Club Log and LOTW at the end of each session.
* SWL reports are welcome.

* QSL cards will be replied to in the same way they are received

But I'm New Or I Don't Have QSL Cards To Send

It's not unusual to contact a new amateur, or someone who has never worked Australia before that does not have a QSL card to send. QSL cards are great, but it can be expensive to QSL with everyone you speak to.

If you are new, or don't have a QSL card to send, but want to QSL with me, a simple post card from your town or state is good enough.

Please include the following information as a minimum:

Your Call-sign, Name and Return Address. (Who are you, where are you)
My Call-Sign (Something like "Confirming QSO with VK4IM").
Date and Time in UTC/ GMT (NOT YOUR OR MY LOCAL TIME)
Frequency or Band we had the contact on
My Signal Report (RST)
The Mode we used to make the contact.

Without the above information I can-not confirm the contact.

Optional Information

Your radio
Your antenna
Your power
A comment or greeting.


Want a QSL Card But Don't Want To Send One?

Request a QSL card by searching for your call sign here: https://clublog.org/logsearch/VK4IM

*** Attention! ***

Outgoing mail from Australia to some international destinations may be impacted by delays or suspensions.

Please check the page linked below before requesting a QSL card to ensure your country is not affected or to get an estimate of how long it will take to receive your card once ordered.

Australia Post International updates

VK4IM Call Sign History

Note: In Australia, when the owner of a call sign is Silent Key there is usually a two-year grace period on the re-issue of that call sign.

J.D. MacLean, Kangaroo Point, Queensland. (First known issue 1951 - 24/08/1972 - SK).
First known call book listing - International section for the Spring 1951 Foreign Amateur Stations Call Book - Page 372. (Courtesy of the Internet Archive).
No known call-sign issue from 1972 until 1985 - Confirmation required.
N.W. (Bill) Hanson, Wondai QLD (1985 - 30/04/2002 - SK).
Re-issued and listed in the 1985 Wireless Institute Of Australia (WIA) Call Book.
R. Bertrand Oxenford QLD (9/09/2004 - 8/09/2005).
There was a government embargo on the issue of two letter call-sign around this time.
A. Jaroszuk North Lakes, QLD (9/09/2005 - present).

Equipment

*** My Station ***

*** HF 160m through 6m ***

Icom IC-7300 transceiver.
BHI Dual Inline Noise Eliminating Module (for when the going gets rough)
Heil IC-M microphone and homebrew boom arm.
MFJ-989C Versa Tuner.
Monitor Sensor HF Meter
Solid State Amplifier.
Homebrew ground mounted vertical.
Trapless 1/4 wave design covering 40m through 6m.
32 radials at 5.0m (16-1/2 ft) long each.
20m Moxon on a 10m (33 feet) tilt over mast (courtesy of VK4KA)
Yaesu G-1000 DXC Rotator
Linked to LOG4OM & PSTRotatorAZ Software via a DigiMaster GS232B Az Rotator Interface.

*** VHF And Above ***

Anytone AT-D578UV DMR transceiver
Pi-Star hot spot configured for C4FM gateway
Comet GP-9 2m/70cm vertical antenna