Introducing ALARA

Hello, from Shirley, VK5YL, Vice President of ALARA, the Australian Ladies Amateur Radio Association.  Our Association was formed in 1975 to encourage ladies into amateur radio, and to support and engage those who already had their call signs. This was at a time when there were few YL operators on the bands. (YL stands for YOUNG lady, no matter what age!)


Today ALARA has around 200 members, some of whom are from overseas and often sponsored into ALARA by Australian members. Many of these sponsored members, reciprocate by sponsoring VK ladies into sister organisations overseas. This way we are able to keep abreast of YL events world-wide.

ALARA publishes an excellent quarterly Newsletter which is distributed by post or email, whatever your preference. We also have a Certificated Award for the number of ALARA members worked, and an annual contest held on the last full weekend in August.

Every three years, as many of us as possible get together in person, at our ALARAmeet. This usually takes place over a four day weekend and is held in a different States each time, so that it gives us a chance to meet face to face, with the voices we may only have worked on air. Our next ALARAmeet will be in Bendigo Victoria, from 2nd to 5th October 2020 which is shaping up to be an exciting weekend.

We hold regular Nets every Monday night on either 80 meters (3.570 MHz) or on Echolink - a radio link via the computer with only licensed amateurs able to connect.

From time to time lunches are held in a number of States. In VK5 they are monthly and in VK3, bi-monthly. Other states meet irregularly.

If you are a YL who is considering getting your Foundation licence, or upgrading to a Standard or Advanced licence, ALARA now has a Grants Program, which will reimburse half the cost of the licence and examination fees, and, on top of this, ALARA will also give you one year’s free membership.

For more information on this, or any of the other subjects we’ve mentioned, please go to our website www.alara.org.au

​Come join us for some fun radio times which are not always technical.

​33 Shirley VK5YL

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