Museums
The International Museums Weekend (IMW) is an annual Amateur Radio event held over the third and fourth weekends in June. The purpose of the event is to promote the educational and cultural significance of museums in the community using Amateur Radio. Portable Amateur Radio stations are set up at the museums by local clubs, societies and individuals and operated over the weekend with the aim of contacting other interested stations. The public are free to observe and even participate in the operation by picking up the microphone and having an on-the-air conversation. The museum benefits from having a working exhibit promoting the museum itself.
In September 2014 we set up our portable Amateur Radio station, with permission, on the grounds of the Melbourne Museum. The station included our 4WD vehicle with a side awning to provide shelter. Tables were set up for the radio equipment and Amateur Radio displays and literature.
To commemorate the occasion, there was an on-air IMW contact between the Wireless Hill Museum station, VK6WH, operated by Bob VK6KW and Denis VK6FADF, and the Melbourne Museum station. Speeches were exchanged with the Mayor, including call signs, signal strength reports, details of the equipment, locations and propagation conditions, the significance of the museum, the purpose of the IMW, thanks to all involved and gratitude to the traditional owners of the country.
We repeated the event in 2015, setting up on a table in front of the Melbourne Museum entrance.
International Museums Weekend at Melbourne Museum
