Hi!
I've been asked by a few people recently if I am going to be at Dayton next month. I've been there the past two years, but will not make it this year. Maybe in 2012. As this year's Hamvention is starting, I will be flying to Australia. I have never been there before, so this should be a fun trip - even with the 16-hour flights over the Pacific.
My tentative travel plan is as follows:
19-21 May: two flights - Phoenix-Los Angeles, then Los Angeles- Melbourne (arriving on 21 May) 21-24 May: Melbourne area 24-26 May: drive around the countryside away from Melbourne 26 May: return to Melbourne Airport in the early morning, then fly up to Sydney 26-28 May: Sydney area 28 May: fly back to Melbourne in the late evening 29 May: two flights - Melbourne-Los Angeles, then Los Angeles- Phoenix
While I am in Australia, I plan on doing some satellite operating in FM and SSB as VK/WD9EWK. If asked, I will also operate as VK/VA7EWK. Both callsigns are legal in Australia under the "class license" that covers operating by foreign hams for short visits. I plan on making the trip with a small station - TH-D72A HT for FM satellites and APRS, one or both of my FT-817NDs for SSB/CW satellite work, and my TH-F6A HT (backup radio for FM, plus its all-mode receiver could be used in place of one FT-817ND). I may even try a little bit of HF operating with one of my FT-817NDs that make up my all-mode satellite station. If time permits, I hope to meet up with some of the Australian satellite hams in and around Melbourne and possibly in Sydney (best chance for me in Sydney would probably be the evening of 26 May).
As I have done on other trips in the past several months, I plan on making use of APRS on my TH-D72A while traveling in Australia. My APRS call will be WD9EWK-9, with VK/WD9EWK in a status field that is included with each transmission.
I plan on confirming my QSOs in Australia with QSL cards and also the LOTW system. I'll take care of getting Australian stamps for international airmail, so I can get some QSL cards in exchange for my cards.
I'll post more here on the -BB as the trip gets closer, and also on the "amsatvk" list where I have already made some posts with my plans. I am looking forward to this trip, something I have thought about for many years. This will be my first trip to Australia, but probably not my last trip. :-)
73!
Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/