Dallas, VK3DJ location in Drysdale, Victoria
It still thrills me even though it’s fairly commonplace in amateur radio. Over the past few weeks, a ham from Australia has periodically connected over the Internet—using IRLP—to the W4DOC 2M repeater in Atlanta. He and a friend are coming to Atlanta for a NASCAR event in a few months. Dallas, Vk3DJ, from Drysdale, Victoria in Aussie-land, about 50 miles south of Melborne, frequently stays up to about 11pm local time to talk with Atlanta Radio Club hams doing their morning drive time commute to work. He’s getting much information about things to see, do, and an opportunity to visit some of us to share a pint while he and his “mate” (friend) come through this area. His small farming community is shown with the red A balloon in the map on the right.
I got to talk with Dallas this morning for about 20 minutes. I was able to share with him the title of a book my friend from the University of Central Florida, James Wright, wrote on NASCAR’s origins: Fixin to Git. He also learned about Don Panoz’s Esperante auto manufacturing operation up a few miles north in Braselton (see http://www.panozcars.com). After chatting with a growing group of other hams, Dallas called it a day. He teaches “trades” (shop) classes by day. It’s still a thrill to talk to previously unknown folks from parts all over, even with the Internet assist!