I was pleased to receive these two awards as a prelude to a break from being on air from my home station, working WWFF stations and other stations for just over 20 years from the Adelaide Hills. It has been radio paradise! Most of the time there is no noise and I could work stations where the signal strength meter needle/graphical display was still on the stop. For the last two months I was still active using an end fed antenna, matched through a 9 : 1 unun. However, I have now dismantled my station as we pepare for living in suburbia again. I am sure I am going to learn much about noise reduction techniques!

It has been fun and thanks to all those overseas and local stations who have contacted me as VK5BJE and VK5PF.

I intend to maintain my interest in WWFF and I hope to work many more stations using CW (morse code).

I have been a WWFF hunter and activator for ten years. It has been a lot of fun over that time, improving my gear, which is an everlasting quest, developing my operating skills, also a life long learning task and increasing the number of CW (morse contacts) in my overall tallies. But I have been a park activator (in all mainland states and Tasmania), for a much longer time, back in the ‘bad’ old days, when portable contacts were made according to a schedule or net. The adventure programs of WWFF and SOTA, and the much newer spin-offs, have increased the activity on our bands, and encouraged experimentation, which is to the great benefit to amateur radio and collectively sharpened amateurs’ operating skills.

Once again a most sincere thanks to the activators, especially the hardy ones, who pretend there is no such season as winter!

I was delighted to gain this award for 125 unique parks using different frequency bands but just relying on telegraphy, that is, sending and receiving in morse code or CW, in radio language. WWFF Logsearch credits the award to VK5BJE, my primary call, but nearly all the contacts were made using VK5PF, my secondary call. One hundred and twenty five contacts represents about ten per cent of my WWFF activity, presently standing at about 1109 contacts. Thanks to all of the activators and for the morse code enthusiasts.

I enjoyed getting this award as well as the 1050 award. I want to thank Gerard, VK2IO/P for his recent activations in VK3 as well as VK2 – by chasing Gerard using SSB and CW I was able to push my hunter total in the right direction. Thanks also to the other activators from all mainland call areas, (including VK7) especially Jeff, VK8DNT.

I was pleased to receive this certificate for working 1,050 unique parks. It has been an interesting journey and it is always rewarding to have a qso with a park operator working from a park I have visited. Thanks to all the activators who made getting these contacts possible.

I was delighted to also receive this award for making contacts with radio amateurs in 1000 unique parks.Hunters have had a great time through November and early December because of the increased activity with special park expeditions to Tasmania (VK7) by VK3SRC, VK7XV, VK5PAS and VK5MAZ . These amateurs helped compress the gap between 975 and 1000. Once again thanks to all of the activators and especially the volunteers whom do all of the work behind the scenes to keep the WWFF program going.

I was pleased to gain my certificate for working 975 unique National Parks, Conservation Parks and Fauna and Flora reserves. I express my appreciation of all the activators who go to make up the 975 contacts.

My award for working 950 Park references has just arrived. Chasing the activators in varying band conditions has been fun. Thanks for the contacts activators – and home stations – all appreciated.

WWFF Hunter certificate for working 944 unique references.