Waverley Amateur Radio Society
Oldest continuously licensed amateur radio club in Australia.
The Waverley Amateur Radio Society (WARS) is an amateur radio group based in Rose Bay, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It operates under the call sign VK2BV and was founded in 1919, making it the oldest continuously licensed amateur radio club in the country.
The club began as the Waverley Radio Club on 27 January 1919, started by 17 radio experimenters and enthusiasts from the Waverley area. The navy department issued it license number N249. When the Postmaster-General's Department took over licensing in 1922, the club’s call letters became 2BV. National prefixes were adopted in 1929, changing the call sign to VK2BV. Within a year of its founding, the club received its first license for a one-valve receiver and a spark-gap transmitter operating on a 200-meter wavelength. Until 1954, meetings were held on Thursday evenings at the home of the first vice president, Frank Geddes, at "Almont", 13 McPherson Street, Waverley, which also housed the club station. The club changed its name to the Waverley Amateur Radio Society in the mid-1970s. It became affiliated with the Wireless Institute of Australia in 1926 and has remained so ever since.
The society owns and runs two amateur radio repeaters from a location in Paddington under the call sign VK2ROT. On the 2-metre band, the repeater operates on 147.025 MHz FM output and 147.625 MHz input with a 91.5 Hz CTCSS tone. On 70 cm, the repeater is assigned to 438.575 MHz FM output and 433.575 MHz input, also using a 91.5 Hz CTCSS tone. This 70 cm repeater handles analogue transmissions and provides access to Echolink and ALLSTAR. The club also operates a 70 cm D-STAR repeater at Governor Phillip Tower under the call sign VK2RBV. It runs on 438.775 MHz with a -5 MHz offset and 6.25 kHz bandwidth, covering the Sydney region. The repeater stack includes an ICOM ID-RP4000V 70 cm RF unit, an ICOM ID-RP2C controller, and Freestar control software on a Beagleboard platform. A Yaesu Fusion repeater is co-located next to the D-STAR unit, operating on 438.1125 MHz with a 5.4 MHz negative offset and 91.5 Hz CTCSS. It supports Yaesu Fusion and Wires-X in Auto-Auto mode, following the mode it receives. The club runs an Echolink node (725953) linked to the 70 cm repeater. It previously operated an IRLP node (6250) through the 70 cm repeater, but that is now offline due to software incompatibility.
Quick Facts
- Abbreviation
- WARS
- Formation
- 1919
- Purpose
- Advocacy, Education, Social Group
- Headquarters
- Rose Bay RSL Club, Vickery Avenue, Rose Bay, NSW 2029.
- Location
- -33.8709 · 151.2655 · yes
- Region Served
- Sydney, Australia
- Affiliations
- Wireless Institute of Australia
- Remarks
- The society operates under the call sign VK2BV
- Former Name
- Waverley Radio Club
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Waverley Radio Club was founded on 27 January 1919 by a group of 17 radio experimenters and enthusiasts living in the Waverley area, receiving license number N249 from the navy department. Within a year, the club obtained its first licence for a one-valve receiver and spark-gap transmitter on a wavelength of 200 meters. Meetings until 1954 were held on Thursday evenings at the home of the club's first vice president, Frank Geddes, at 'Almont', 13 McPherson Street, Waverley, which also housed the club station.
In 1922, when the Postmaster-General's Department took over licensing, the club call letters were changed to 2BV, and in 1929 national prefixes were adopted, resulting in the call sign VK2BV. The club became affiliated with the Wireless Institute of Australia in 1926 and has maintained that affiliation ever since. In the mid-1970s, the club changed its name to the Waverley Amateur Radio Society.
The club owns and operates two amateur radio repeaters from a location in Paddington under the call sign VK2ROT, covering the 2-metre and 70 cm bands. It also runs a 70 cm D-STAR repeater located at Governor Phillip Tower under the callsign VK2RBV, and a Yaesu Fusion repeater co-located with it. The club's radio net operates every Monday at 8:00 pm on the VK2RBV repeater.
Reader's Guide
The Waverley Amateur Radio Society holds a unique place in Australian amateur radio history as the oldest continuously licensed club in the country, tracing its roots to 1919. Its early adoption of a spark-gap transmitter and one-valve receiver reflects the pioneering era of radio experimentation. The club's long affiliation with the Wireless Institute of Australia, dating from 1926, underscores its integration into the national amateur radio community.
The society maintains an active technical infrastructure, including multiple repeaters on 2 metres and 70 cm, supporting analogue, D-STAR, Yaesu Fusion, Echolink, and previously IRLP, P25, and APRS modes. The annual Sydney Amateur Radio Ferry Contest, organized by the club, encourages VHF/UHF operation from Sydney Ferries and wharves around Sydney Harbour. The club also provides training and assessment services on behalf of the Australian Maritime College and partners with Amateur Radio NSW for Foundation Licence Courses. Its 90th anniversary in 2009 was marked by the allocation of a special event call sign, VI2BV90.
Did You Know?
- The club was originally named the Waverley Radio Club and changed to Waverley Amateur Radio Society in the mid-1970s.
- The club's first licence was for a one-valve receiver and spark-gap transmitter on 200 meters.
- The club organizes the annual Sydney Amateur Radio Ferry Contest in March.
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