BARC Home

About the Club

What We Do

Ham Radio enthusiasts
Bundaberg & surrounds
Maintain 3 repeater sites
Work in the community
Disaster Management Partner

With the Australian Callsign VK4BW we're located in Bundaberg, Queensland and known as B.A.R.C.

We participate in contests, hold workshops, we've been known to fox hunt and even hold social events

We own & service three repeater sites on surrounding mountains; Hold the occasional meeting and meet regularly 'on-air'

Our Monday Night Net is held on our town Repeater 147.800MHz @ 7.30pm local time

Training

Foundation Training
Certified Trainer
One-on-One Training
Theory & Practical
Examination Facilitators

Your first step is the Foundation licence which takes about 10 hours training, and some home study

Once you pass an exam you choose a callsign such as VK4xxx

We charge $60 for Foundation Training which includes practical tuition using our radio equipment, and we sell the WIA Foundation Training manual for $25

Standard and Advanced are the next Amateur Radio Licences & we recommend the Radio & Electronics School for these courses

W.I.C.E.N

Emergency Operators
Highly skilled
Mobile & Responsive
Working for the Community
Members Local Disaster Management

BARC Members formed WICEN Bundaberg in the 1970's to fulfill a role supporting emergency services

When emergencies occur and normal communications are compromised 12volt battery operated radios fill the gap

Our members volunteer their time serving our local community when the need arises

WICEN is funded by the Bundaberg Amateur Radio Club members and we currently have 17 licenced Amateurs actively serving as volunteers

Things We Do

BARC Repeaters

VK4RBG 2M Sloping Hummock Bundaberg, 147.800MHz, HASL 100m, Footprint: Bundaberg Region and coastal townships

VK4RBU 2M Mt Goonaneman, 146.800MHz, HASL 620m, Footprint: Gympie to Miriam Vale with link to Sunshine Coast

VK4RBU 70cm Mt Goonaneman, 438.775MHz

VK4RBU-3 Mt Goonaneman, 145.175MHz A.R.P.S. Digi Repeater

VK4RBW 70cm Double Sloping Hummock Mt Watalgan, 439.775MHz, HASL 400m, Footprint: Bundaberg; Childers; Hervey Bay; Gin Gin; Miriam Vale

VK4RBW-3 145.175 A.P.R.S. Digi repeater

I.R.L.P. Node: 6248 located on Mt Watalgan, Frequency: 439.775MHz UHF

Meet the Committee

We're into our 7th decade now, an achievement that wouldn't have been possible without our great committees over the years.

Meet the Committee for this Year, and find out a little about these hard working volunteers.

workshops

Being an Amatuer Radio Operator is more than just talking on the radio...

We meet regularly to build better antennas or devices to make our signals go further or sound better

Members enjoy sharing their projects and helping others build whatever they need

We're all about Projects

We sent up a Helium Filled Balloon

We called it HABE - (Hi Altitude Balloon Experiment) and you can visit the HABE webpage to see how the project turned out

Spolier alert...

We went to the edge of space and have the photos to prove it!

We joined the ARISS Project and spoke to the ISS

As part of the Amateur Radio International Space Station project we partnered with the Avoca State School in Bundaberg

In March 2021 12 lucky students spoke to Astronaut Colonel Mike Hopkins aboard the ISS

Once again, we have pictures...

There is a dedicated page for this exciting project, with the audio downlink from the ISS and a great video of how it all came together

History

We are indebted to some great men who in the 1970's manually carried every concrete block and bag of cement up a torturous track, to build our repeater shack on Mt Goonaneman
hist2

Exhibits

To showcase the club we regularly show off our history and technical knowledge to the public and have displayed at the Bundy Library, the annual Tegege 'yester-year' rally, Council events for Seniors and outside of the local Jaycar store.
It's good for Jaycar customers to see that we can help them build better projects.

tegege Tegege yester-year rally set-up

Working Bees

The Club wouldnt exist without a dedicated crew of members who regularly troop up to Mt Goonaneman.
We mow and trim and make our tiny footprint in a sub-tropical forest, fit for purpose again.

mtg_view
It's a grand view from up there

The 30m tower was constructed in the 1980's and is regularly maintained while we're up there.
It is a vital link in our 3-mountain Repeater network

Working with Children - JOTA

We have a longtime relationship with the Scouts, Guides, Cubs and Brownies in Bundaberg
and attend the annual JOTA camps to give the youngsters hands-on experience with radios and Morse code keys.
Our child protection policy ensures that members hold valid Working With Children Bluecards.

vk4ion Because our trainers work with minors, working towards their Foundation Licence, we ensure the protection of those in our care with regular training and vigilance.

Distance Records

We all love a bit of competition and that's why the club fosters the Distance Contest.
Members who make the greatest distance HF, VHF & UHF communications are recorded on the Club's Distance Records Page
It's tougher than you think to make these contacts member-to-member, without the use of repeaters etc, within the Home, Mobile or Handheld categories.