VK2KRR - An Introduction
Welcome to the VK2KRR website.
Station VK2KRR is located at The Rock Hill, southern NSW, Australia. The Rock Hill is 40 km to the south west of Wagga Wagga.
The maidenhead grid square locator is QF34mr. The Rock Hill summit towers 350 meters above the surrounding ground level and is visible for many many kilometres around.
The owner of the VK2KRR callsign is Leigh Rainbird. I was previously VK2LRR up until 22.05.03 when my licence was upgraded to VK2KRR after a successful examination pass of the advanced radio and electronics theory.
I have been a licensed amateur radio operator since 1991 when I was in High School year 10. At the time, licence qualification included a 5 word per minute Morse Code test, basic radio and electronics theory and regulations.
Most operation at VK2KRR is receive based (listening) propagation research. Transmission occurs probably less than 1% of the time, usually when rare or unusual propagation conditions occur.
On going propagation research is based on frequencies of 144 MHz and above to lightwaves 474 THz.
The main band is the 144 - 148 MHz band. Other bands include 50 MHz, 430 to 440 MHz, 1296 MHz.
My main area of research is Tropospheric Duct Propagation, especially the rare ducts across the Great Australian Bight to Western Australia. I have put many hundreds of hours into the research and study Tropospheric conditions both in theory and in practical 24 hour a day monitoring at times. (I used to have a bed in the radio room).
You can find current information in relation to my Tropospheric Duct study at my page called Tropospheric Duct Info.
Other areas of interest are Ionospheric Sporadic E layer propagation at 144 MHz.
Station VK2KRR is always on stand by to assist with emergency communications. Due to our large coverage area on 144 MHz the station can provide a valuable link in conjunction with WICEN - Wireless Institute Civil Emergency Network during times of disaster.
I took over writing the WIA Amateur Radio magazine's VHF/UHF column after David Minchin VK5KK gave it away. I initially had no weak signal stuff only FM DX. Then, David Smith VK3HZ joined me. The title of the column is 'VHF/UHF - an expanding world'. I wrote the '2 & 70 FM DX Report' and also helped David with extra info for his 'Weak Signal' section. I gave this up around the start of 2005 after doing it for a number of years and handed all to Dave.
I hope you enjoy the VK2KRR site, thanks for stopping by. Leigh Rainbird. VK2KRR.