NEWS UPDATE:

1. October 2011: Allan, VK2GR and Josette, VK2FXGR are back home in VK2. Allan is chasing DX and working in contests when time is available.

2. Allan, VK2GR and Josette, VK2FXGR were in Papua New Guinea from February to September 2011using the P29CW callsign from Kiunga, Western Province, PNG. All logs have been uploaded to eQSL. Seventeen international contest logs were submitted for this period of operation. The lightweight setup used resonant wire antennas for each band and an FT897D. (IOTA OC-034, GL: QI03pv); ALL direct QSL requests for P29CW are direct to Tommy VK2IR. The operation was a spare time operation while doing volunteer aid work with Australian Doctors Interantional: http://www.adi.org.au/

3. VK2GR was operational from September to December 2009 as P29CW from Kiunga, Western Province, Papua New Guinea on CW, RTTY and SSB using wire antennas and an FT897D. (IOTA OC-034, GL: QI03pv); ALL direct QSL requestsfor P29CW are direct to Tommy VK2IR have been answered. http://www.p29cw.blogspot.com/

4.Allan was part of theVK9NI Dxpedition to Norfolk Island (IOTA OC-005, GL: RG30xx); theDxpedition was from 22 to 29 July 2009. http://www.vk9ni.com/

5. Allan was the CW operator on the VI2BI Dxpetition team to Braughton Island in 2010. http://www.vi2bi.blogspot.com/

6. VK2GR/8 was operational 30 May to 29 June 2009.from Nhulunbuy, Gove, East Arnhem in the Northern Territory, VK8, (GL: PH87jt) 12.18585° S 136.77908° E, IOTAOC-001. .

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Home QTH - Grid locator: QF56lg. IOTA OC-001. Licenced since 1969 as VK2GR

My main radio interests are with CW DX operating, CW contesting and with home brew wire antennas. Having a professional technical background in radio and telecommunications, I also love old valve equipment restoration and new solid-state gear construction.

My XYL, Josette (VK2FXGR) and I are active providing first aid training and medical support with Scouts Australia and with St. John Ambulance inNSW. We have provided voluntary medical aid work to Papua New Guinea (P29),the Solomon Islands (H44) and Vanuatu (YJ0).

When time is available, Josette and I enjoy long wilderness bushwalks of up to 14 days duration, particularly in the remote World Heritage areas of South West Tasmania; in these activities we have to be self sufficient and able to withstand four season weather conditions until our return to civilisation.

Active on HF CW using dipole 160-10M antennas. I was active on AO40 Satellite using CW and SSB until the satellite operation ceased.

H44MA: QTH; Atoifi, Malaita, Solomon Islands, IOTAOC-047 in October to December 2001. QSL cardsfor H44MA are via VK2GR. This was part time operation at Atoifi Adventist Mission Hospital while doing voluntary technical and medical support work at the hospital and associated clinics. Operation from H44 during several CW contests created much interest and a first place for Solomon Islands was achieved in the 2001 CQ WW CW DX contest.

ZK1GGR: QTH; Aitutaki, South Cook Islands, IOTAOC-083 (limited operation on Rarotonga, IOTA OC-013) in August 2003. Due to lost equipment during air transit, the HF operation was limited and AO40 operation did not take place due tothe missingAIDC downconverter and VHF transceiver. QSL cards for ZK1GGR are via VK2GR.

QSL Update: As collecting QSL cards is an interest, my objective is to reply to bureau and direct QSL cards promptly. All QSL cardsreceived for VK2GR, P29CW, H44MA and ZK1GGR have been replied to as at 16 January2011. I aim to reply to direct cards within one week and bureau cards are send back to theWIA QSL Bureauwithin one month of receipt unless, I am travelling or active on a DXpedition. Being a Wireless Institute of Australia member, in VK2 the QSL bureau cards are sent to me twice per year.