Dampier beacons 50 and 144 MHz

[VK6KZ]

VK6RSX beacons are off air as the site has been reclaimed by the Mining company. Efforts are being made to find an alternative site. The WA VHF Group invites suggestions regarding an alternative town if the beacons cannot be sited at Dampier. Email wjhowse@bigpond.com

[VK4ABW]

Damn.....i hope they find a suitable alternative site as that beacon is in a great location. It gets spotted by many o'seas countries.

[VK2ZRH]

Hi Wally,

I would suggest places such as Exmouth or Learmonth - even Carnarvon.

Any of these three sites would place the 2m beacon within the evening TEP "communications zone" (equatorial bubble footprint) for long-haul TEP paths to Northern China, SE Russia (possibly Korea), as per the diagram below (from my GippsTech 2007 paper, Transequatorial VHF-UHF Propagation: the next challenges for VK).

The 2m beacon would remain within tropo propagation reach of Indonesia, also.

The 6m beacon would do well for itself, too.

Long-haul evening TEP zones

73, Roger Harrison VK2ZRH

[VK4GHZ]

Wally, this is bad news.
VK6RSX was the best, and most often the only, real 6M VK beacon heard in Europe.

Looking at the bigger picture, we have the pending shutdown of 46.172 and 46.240 TV TXs in a few years.
This IS happening.
Without VK6RSX and the two Channel 0's, Europe will have absolutely no reliable indicators from VK.

[ZL3MH]

Last year I never heard the North West Beacons over
the Christmas Break but the year before I heard them
for at least 10 days.

All the Best for there New Site Murray ZL3MH

[VK6SIX]

Carnarvon....

In about 1980/81 , the old VK6RTT beacon on 52mhz which was 10 watts into a 1/4 mobile whip on the roof of the Carnarvon scout hall was copied in the U.K. 2 or 3 days in a row and Andy VK6OX worked some G stations cross band from 52 mhz to 28.885.

I think the frequency was 52.300.

I reckon 28.885 would echo with some really wonderful memories from our 6 metre dx past way back.

Carnarvon is the place, there is a few [ I think] active hams there.

[VK4DD]

We can all dream of good locations... but the fact is were can you put it up.
Who wants to install the beacon. You need locals to put it up.

I have operated 2 years from OG99 Pt Hedland.
4 years ago iI worked from that QTH into Europe with a 5 el yagi 6m off the ground.
On 50 Mhz off course. I don't think many VK's worked into Europe that year.
I might have been the only one.

Karatha is probably the most active group down in the west on 6m.
Mining regulations, cyclone rating, Minig safety regulations etc makes it very difficult / expensive to install an antenna in a tower.
Not to mention the <BEEP> heat.

Cheers
Ron VK4DD ex VK6KDD

[VK6ADF]

Yesterday while watching the logger I noticed 2 loggings of the Dampier Beacon VK6RSX. This is not possible as I have been in contact with the custodian of the beacons which currently are not on air awaiting a new home. I suspect what was heard was VK6RBU as the logged frequency was 50.305. VK6RBU is a very distinctive beacon as prior to the callsign there is a what I can only describe as a machine gun sound.

I will make a recording of it later and post the link here.

73 Phil...VK6ADF

[VK4ABW]

yep. that was me Phil. i grabbed the wrong line in Ewarn list. it was VK6RBU with the machine gun firing away.


Both RBU and RPH were banging away for a long time.
Gary

[VK6ADF]

As was reported on the 6m logger VK6RSX Dampier is back on air as of Monday morning 14th June and so the 2m beacon should also be back on air.

The new site is slightly west of the old site, now located on East Intercourse Island. Maidenhead Locator appears to be the same. If I followed the instructions in a email correctly the building is shown below.

If you look on Google maps along the road to the lookout and heli pad is an old long building, they are on the side of that building

Thanks to Rio Tinto Iron Ore for letting them be located there and thanks to Michael VK6BHY for installing them. If Michael sends any more information or photo's he said he has, I will also post them here.

I altered the location in the logger beacon database as soon as I found out the new location.






73 Phil...VK6ADF

[VK6XLR]

Great to see the beacons are back on air! Well done guys.

I've been hearing the 6m beacon here in Geraldton via meteor scatter since the morning of the 15th. That's when I first noticed it being logged.

For those who don't know, VK6RSX was originally located at the Exmouth light aircraft strip, about half way between Exmouth and Learmonth.
It was moved from Exmouth to Dampier as the site became unsatisfactory for a variety of reasons. From what I heard via the original installers, some people turning the equipment off

[VK4GHZ]

Excellent news Phil
Appreciate the update.

Incidentally, the beacon lat/lon was showing up to the east of the new site (the old site?)
I have updated the lat/lon accordingly.

[VK6ADF]

Incidentally, the beacon lat/lon was showing up to the east of the new site (the old site?)
I have updated the lat/lon accordingly.

Ooooops. Yeah I meant to do that as well

[VK6ADF]

I received some photo's from Michael VK6BHY of the new installation. The google map images I placed above he informed me were wrong.
Well, I was only trying to follow directions in an email and not knowing the area. With further info and the photo's I think I have it slightly closer now.

The location is a little west of where I originally had it. I have made more google map images to reflect the location and they are above in the earlier posting. Might be a little out but closer than it was.









and this time I changed the Lat/Long to the new location as Michael sent the GPS coordinates.

73 Phil...VK6ADF

[ZL3MH]

Hi All

I would sincerely like to thank Michael VK6BHY
for installing them and getting the Dampier beacon
back on the air. I did some work at Intercourse
Island in the 1970s working for Kilpatrick Green
a large electrical contactor. I think the tower was
there then. I hope to hear the beacon over the
Christmas break from Christchurch ZL.

All the best Murray ZL3MH

[VK3AUU]

Was that on Norty No1 or Norty No2 Murray.

David

[VK5ACY]

Until four years ago I lived on Australia's third largest island - Kangaroo Island - and saw above a reference to Intercourse Island...

Kangaroo Island is easily the most expensive place to live near Australia, and boasts the most expensive vehicular ferry ride on the planet....I could not afford to live there any longer but do miss some of the 'good bits'....

..I collect Island QSLs for the IOTA program and I just had to find out more about this little rock off the Western Australian coast, so GOOGLEd the name. It exists, and people make interesting comments about it..

http://theworstofperth.com/2008/04/14/i ... se-island/

http://www.maritime-database.com/port.php?pid=4030

I am easily amused.

[VK6SIX]

Actually there is a maritime reason why these islands have these names.

Something to do with safe navigation and "access" between the islands in a safe manner

vk6six

[VK6TU]

Thanks to all for your comments, its good to see the beacons are working well in their new location

I have nearly finished building a 4ele 6m beam subject to work and family commitments I hope to get it finished, tested and in the air this month
Only got a mb vertical up to 6m works but no real good on 6m so looking forward to getting a better antenna up

73 from Michael VK6BHY
Karratha NWWA

[ZL3MH]

From Murray 29-1-11

Yep, Been listening around on 50.304 and there abouts, but nothing
here in ZL3 Christchurch. I wonder did any one hear this beacon in ZL.
It may be now too late this Sporadic E season now to hear the beacon.

73 Murray ZL3MH