🚀 JOHN MOYLE MEMORIAL FIELD DAY 2026
THE BIGGEST PORTABLE CONTEST IN AUSTRALIA IS BACK — AND IT’S LEVELLED UP!
NEW TEAM. NEW ENERGY. NEW ERA.
The countdown is ON.
The generators are warming up.
The squid poles are shaking.
The antennas are coming out of sheds, garages, club trailers, and utes across the nation.
The 2026 John Moyle Memorial Field Day is just around the corner — and this year it’s going BIG.
After more than 20 years of legendary service, Denis VK4AE has handed over the reins… and in true VK style, TWO of Australia’s most active, most recognisable, and most energetic contesters have stepped up to take the event into its next era.
🌟 MEET THE NEW CREW STEERING THE SHIP
Contest Manager: Diane Main — VK4DI
One of the most active operators on the bands. A contesting machine. Di brings organisation, passion, and a relentless focus on bringing MORE operators into field radio.
Deputy Manager: Alan Shannon — VK4SN
Multi-award-winning operator. Endless technical experience. A familiar callsign at the top of the scoreboard. If it can be improved, tweaked, logged, or optimised… SN is already on it.
Together, VK4DI and VK4SN are injecting NEW ENERGY and NEW EXCITEMENT into Australia’s premier portable contest.
2026 is the year to GET OUT THERE.
🔥 WHY 2026 IS GOING TO BE MASSIVE
âś” All logs checked via vklogchecker.com
âś” Updated rules for faster, cleaner scoring
âś” A huge push to get more portable stations on the air
âś” Clubs across VK expected to roll out BIG portable setups
✔ Solar cycle still hot — HF and VHF/UHF ready to explode
âś” 3-hour blocks = more multipliers = MORE FUN
This contest is built for everyone:
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Big club stations
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Small field teams
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Single-operator backpack SOTA types
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6-hour “quick hitters”
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Home stations who want in on the action
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New licence holders
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Old contest hands
If you’ve got a radio, an antenna, a battery, and a sense of adventure — you’re in.
đź“… THE DATE
21–22 March 2026
UTC 0100 Saturday to 0059 Sunday
24 hours of pure portable radio action.
Start planning your site.
Book your club gear.
Charge the batteries.
Sharpen the tent pegs.
Tell the family you’ll be “back Sunday… probably…”
🎯 THE MISSION
The aim of the John Moyle Memorial Field Day has NEVER changed:
👉 Get out of the shack.
👉 Go portable.
👉 Build something.
👉 Operate under field conditions.
👉 Be ready for anything.
This contest is a direct descendant of real emergency communications training — with a MASSIVE dose of fun.
If you want to test your gear, your antennas, your endurance, your logging, your patience, and your snack supply…
this is YOUR contest.
🏆 2026 WILL BE COMPETITIVE — ARE YOU READY?
The 2025 results were fierce, and 2026 is shaping up even bigger.
Clubs around VK are preparing MULTI-MULTI portable sites, multi-tower builds, and serious HF/VHF/UHF firepower.
And YOU can take them on.
Whether you’re aiming for:
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Single Op 6-hour
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Single Op 24-hour
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Multi-One
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Multi-Multi
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Home Station
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Youth Overlay
…there’s a place for you.
More bands. More multipliers. More blocks. More points.
📡 DON’T JUST WATCH — JOIN IN
The John Moyle Memorial Field Day is the only contest in VK where a $40 fishing pole and a car battery can put you head-to-head with 60-foot towers, stacked yagis, and diesel gensets.
This is the contest where:
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A SOTA pole can beat a club’s HF beam
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A 6-hour operator can crush a multiplier run
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VHF can go wild if conditions pop
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Teams build, break, fix, laugh, and work through the night
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The unexpected ALWAYS happens
That’s the magic.
đź“ť LOGS, RULES & RESOURCES
đź“Ť Rules, spreadsheet log, & N1MM UDC:
Available at the WIA site and vklogchecker.com
đź“Ť Submit logs within 14 days
Cabrillo v3 or spreadsheet format.
đź“Ť Full results, stats & historic records:
vklogchecker.com + WIA archive.
🏆 THE PRESIDENT’S SHIELD
The top-performing Australian club portable station in the 24-hour, Mixed, All Bands category will take home the prestigious President’s Shield, displayed at Andersson House.
Your club’s name could be next.
🔊 CALL TO ACTION
2026 is the year to get ON AIR, GO PORTABLE, and MAKE SOME NOISE.
VK4DI and VK4SN are calling all VK, ZL, and P2 operators —
big guns, little pistols, QRP heroes, and everyone in between —
to hit the field and make 2026 the biggest JMMFD ever.
Charge the batteries.
Pack the radios.
Warm up the antennas.
THE FIELD DAY IS COMING.