Needing a new vertical antenna for some IOTA work planned for the Christmas break, I'd settled on buying an IMAX 2000 with a ground plane after being convinced of its capabilities by 9FAT016 Adrian who has used the same antenna on some of his IOTA DX-pedition adventures in the last few years. Knowing what gear you want and getting your hands on it for the shack in Oz, however, is not as easy as it seems, given the dwindling number of communications suppliers in OC-001 and the fact that most radio products, including the IMAX 2000, are manufactured overseas.

After obtaining a few quotes from distributors in 2 Division, including one from the manufacturer ‘Solarcon’ itself in Holland, Ohio, I was tipped off by well known Darwin DX’er 43TR299 Geoff that the ‘stick’ was rumoured to be available from a small distributor in South East VK4.

Nestled atop the Sunshine Coast’s Blackall Range approximately 100km north of Brisbane, Montville Village is not only home to a myriad of art galleries, pottery studios, craft cottages, fashion houses, gift and antique shops, specialty shops and restaurants but also to one of 43 Division’s most highly regarded communications distributors — Syncro Communications.

Having dealt with Syncro many times before when they were based in VK6 and with some satisfaction, I fired off an email to the owners Jos and his wife Bev inquiring whether or not the goss was true and they did stock the elusive IMAX ‘wonder stick’. The fact it was not listed on their website and NOT one of the brands that Syncro was renowned for (ie. Yupiteru, Dragon, Ranger, Sirtel, Sadelta, Zetagi and Dirland), had me wondering if Geoff had in fact got his long wires crossed… Fortunately he turned out to be right on the money!

So DX-cited I was to have found a local trader of the IMAX 2000 that I decided to take a trip up the Coast with the lovely new YL to buy one immediately! Okay, so she didn’t know we were going there to buy an expensive antenna for a hobby she knew barely anything about, but the promise of some shopping for pottery in some of the local craft shops and a delicious Devonshire tea in one of the romantic little cafes overlooking majestic hinterland cloaked in mist proved the clincher.

First settled in 1887, Montville itself is the most unlikely of locations for a communications outlet but ideal for a tourist resort which is what Jos and Bev also operate on the side. Situated on a seemingly large property, high on a ridge with a magnificent view overlooking a beautiful lake and rolling green valley, the resort caters for city slickers who need some time out from their hectic lives in the smoke and bustle. (Being a bit of an ideas man, it got me thinking that perhaps Jos could market the resort as a resort for DX’ers — a place where DX’ers could kick back in a stunning location to work DX. Hell, he could even flog off some radio gear at the same time)!

The business ‘Syncro Communications’ was nothing like I thought it would be. I had a preconceived idea that I would be entering into a massive technological warehouse stacked wall to wall with communications equipment but this couldn’t be any further from the truth. Most of the trade Syncro does, according to Jos, is through postal orders Australia wide so there is no real need to have an attractive showcase floor so to speak. For this reason, most of the gear Syncro sells such as scanners, radios, linears, mics, CBs, telemetry, amateur radios, antennas, SWR meters and antenna matchers is stored in a massive tin shed with an adjoining workshop where Jos tinkers with his toys and radios.

Apart from serving the needs of 11m DX’ers in 43 Division and stressed out tourists seeking refuge from the city lights, Jos has another project that keeps him busy. After a brief tour of the radio workshop, he showed me a little invention he’d been working on that communicates a level in a water tank. If my memory serves me rightly, the invention involves a device (a small bone plastic box filled with mysterious electronic parts) positioned on the top of the tank and a piece of coaxial cable that runs down into the tank. When water in the tank is low, somehow the box transmits a signal to a transceiver – yes a radio – in the house.

Given that I’m not really scientifically inclined, the actual process, although rather impressive, remains a bit sketchy. Without knowing too much more about it or how it will be produced, it’s fair to say that given the dramas in Oz at the moment with water supply that such a device could be extremely beneficial, particularly in farming and rural areas.

Himself an Albatross Radio member and a regular guest speaker at Albatross Radio functions, Jos has also written a few books on CB modifications! It’s a shame the YL was getting impatient because he is the sort of guy you can talk to for hours and hours about anything and everything to do with radio. Anyhow, I had got what I had come for and that was the amazing IMAX 2000 antenna — beautifully boxed and ready for the trip back down the coast for some future IOTA work in OC-142. I was as happy as a pig in mud!

73 de Admin