Submitted by VK2YJS on

WICEN NSW is a communications support squad of the NSW Volunteer Rescue Association.

WICEN's informal Communications Exercise, "FEBEX2" concludes this afternoon. WICEN invites amateur radio clubs and amateurs across New South Wales and ACT to participate. WICEN has established a base at Little Bay, Sydney, with members across NSW setting up home or field stations as part of a wider exercise. The following frequencies are in use: Simplex on 3.615 MHz, and 7.150 MHz, both LSB; 147.500 MHz and 438.750 MHz FM; and 433.800 MHz DMR. The 2m Chatswood and 2m Mt Heaton (Newcastle area) FM repeaters. Both use 147.150 MHz with a +0.600 MHz offset. However, Chatswood has a 91.5 Hz tone, and Mt Heaton 123 Hz. Will this work? Help WICEN find out! Further, JS8 on is being used on 3.578 MHz and 7.078 MHz. Non-Amateur VHF DMR and HF voice is also in use.

WICEN and the St. George Amateur Radio Society are jointly conducting a test, using a 70cm FM repeater at Mt. Bindo on the Great Dividing Range. VK2RAH is on 439.875 MHz, with a minus 5.0 MHz offset, and no tones. Coverage appears to be very good, so give it a go, and let callback@sgars.org know your results.

Members have been experimenting with WINLINK and JS8CALL to pass text messages, on Monday evenings, supported by a Google Meeting.

WICEN has a weekly net, each Sunday evening. The main net uses FM, and is at 1800, and a secondary uses DMR digital voice at 1830. This afternoon's uses the Berowra and Kurrajong 70cm linked system; and the DMARC TG 3810, the latter accessible from any convenient DMR repeater connected to DMARC.

Members are also encouraged to take advantage of the free courses offered by OEM at: https://www.emtraining.nsw.gov.au/

WICEN hopes to be at the CCARC Field Day at Wyong on February 28th, 2021.

Members are asked to regularly use their vrarescue.org email address.

For Facebook users, there is an official WICEN NSW page; and an informal national WICEN group.

WICEN ACT is part of the Canberra Region ARC. Their website is: http://www.crarc.org.au

WICEN Victoria's weekly net is Tuesdays at 8:30 pm, on 3.6 MHz. Duncan's Run at Turra-Bulga State Forest is March 20th and 21st, while the Baw-Baw Extreme is April 15th and 16th; both subject to confirmation. Visit: http://vic.wicen.org.au

Submitted by Julian Sortland VK2YJS & AG6LE, on behalf of the WICEN State Management Committee.