Jeff Johnson
VK4XJJ

Jeff is in daily contact via short-wave Amateur Radio on the 40 metre band.
If you are a licensed Ham Radio operator, you are welcome to contact him in the evenings.

The SKED details are:

Time: 17:30 EST
Please note that while Jeff sometimes monitors and or chats on the frequency prior to this time, it would be very much appreciated if the time slot of 17:20 - 17:30 is left clear for the position and welfare report to VK4BNQ. Following that, there is usually message traffic between Jeff and his brother VK2FWGJ.

Freqency: 7045 KHz

Mode: LSB

Jeff, VK4XJJ is operating a Yaesu FT-817nd into a 1/2 wave dipole which he strings up between a couple of trees every evening.

The little QRP HF radio runs only 5 watts and just 2.5 watts on internal batteries. To achieve 5 watts, Jeff is carrying a 2.5AH battery. He charges this and his satellite phone with a solar panel that he wears around his neck.

Jeff has a regular sked with his brother Bill, VK2FWGJ in Newcastle who is also running the same radio into a 1/4 wave vertical antenna. Daily position reports, conditions and news are exchanged.

His other main contact and relay station during the journey is Roger, VK4BNQ, located at Gympie, Queensland.
Roger is operating a Yaesu FT-707 (100W output) into an Inverted Vee antenna.

All Amateur Radio Stations are very welcome to contact Jeff in the evenings from 5:30pm EST daily on 7045 KHz LSB.

Jeff also carries a handheld UHF CB radio. The channel monitored varies depending on local repeater and homestead frequencies.

From Lyn - VK4SWE on Sweers Island...

Re: their trip to Sweers, it is all confirmed that the local air charter/mailplane company Aero Tropics, will donate a flight for them both to come across to Sweers on next Thursday's mailplane, with the pilot staying overnight, that will give them a good half day and a night on Sweers, so they might even get to hae a swim in the northern Gulf, perhaps catch a fish, and certainly make some radio calls from OC-227 (a rare one in the IOTA collector books, so perhaps worth passing that around any island chasers you know.) Aero Tropics is based in Cairns, but have also a Karumba based aircraft & pilot Tony. They do all the mailruns around Cape York, and recently took up the Gulf islands mailrun. So here's cheers to them!

73/88

lyn VK4SWE