2017-08-06

yl.beam #49


Contents
Silent Keys
YL Celebrations & Meets
Local-is-Lekker: Robben Island,    Lesotho 
WOMENS  DAY  9th  August 2017 Net & SARL YL Sprint
37th  A.L.A.R.A. CONTEST 2017   
QRZ Contacts
RaDAR “Challenge”
Calendar 

 
Silent Keys
From Laura Fanelli 16/07/2017:
QEPD (RIP) Silent Key LU3WET  NORA EILEEN WILLIAMS DE ARACENA, COMODORO RIVADAVIA CB, Argentina
On 11 July 2017, ZS6APS Jimmy, OM of Pam Momberg ZS6APT, unexpectedly went Silent Key. Pam is a long time YL operator (she was Sec. of  SAWRC 1978) and she and Jimmy always worked as a team. We send sincere condolenses to Pam and family, and the Centurion Radio Amateur Club – he will be missed.

YL events to Celebrate:
1º Aniversário YLs Portugal JULY 26, 2017
and
YLC (Chile) celebrating 3rd Anniversary with SSB phone Event on 40m
from Saturday 26 August, 00:00 Hrs CE, until Sunday 27 August, 24:00 Hrs CE
Logs to be submitted by 10 Sept. 2017  e-mail  contactos@ylc.cl 

Next YL Meets 2017 :
08-10     Sept  ALARA meet in Cairns, Queensland, Australia.
08-10     Sept  SYLRA in Kungsbacka SM6/Sweden (West coast)
Registration is now closed. If you want to participate you need to contact Anita SM6FXW or Solveig SM6KAT on:   sylra2017@hotmail.com    http://www.sylra.is/

Local-is-Lekker
Robben Island,(ZS9V)  IOTA AF-064, Group of South African Radio Amateurs will be active  9 - 13 August 2017 on 80, 40, 20, 15, 10m SSB, CW, Digital Modes. Further information on the Dxpedition  will be published on www.zs9v.org.za
Lesotho, 7P8 Sani Pass region, will be active  2017 18-21 Aug by Quintus, ZS2KU/ 7P8QM and Vaughan, ZS2VR /7P8VRR  40 20 15m; 100w; dipoles.

 
















SOUTH  AFRICA  WOMENS  DAY  9th  AUGUST  2017
Womans Day Ladies-Net
 9 August 2017 from 0600-0700 UTC [0800-0900 SAST/local] No scoring, no logs.
Frequency  2m Repeater  [VHF Kloof 145.625 MHz (Rptr Tx) & 145.025MHz (Rptr Rx)
88.5Hz CTCSS access tone, linking up with two repeaters in Pietermaritzburg KZN, and Echolink.
Easy to make contact via Echolink which is not affected by propagation.
Echolink, select South Africa, then ZS5PMB-R  KZN Linked Repeaters.
Net Controller: ZS5VAL Valerie

South African Radio League YL Sprint- 9 August, 2017.    
This is a fun activity to celebrate National Women’s Day, South Africa, and to encourage YL's to meet and greet 'on-air'. All contacts are valuable - please join us.  Call: “YL Sprint!”
Date and Time 9 August 2017 from 09:00 to 10:00 UTC    11:00 to 12:00 SAST (local) 
Mode/Band:  phone sprint on the 40-metre band
Scoring - Contacts between YL stations are worth 5 points; contacts between YL and OM stations are worth 3 points, and contacts between OM stations are worth 1 point.
Submit Logs,  by 16 August 2017, e-mail to:  contest@netactive.co.za

37th A.L.A.R.A. CONTEST 2017
NOTE: Contest is always on the last FULL weekend of August
The rules for the ALARA contest were significantly revised in 2016
ELIGIBILITY:  All licensed operators throughout the world are invited to participate.
OBJECT:  To encourage YLs in the use of amateur radio. YLs work everyone; OMs work YLs only.
CONTEST:  Combined phone and CW run over 24 hours:
Saturday 26th August 2017  0600 hours UTC to
Sunday 27th August 2017 0559 hours UTC
SUGGESTED FREQUENCIES: All HF Bands to be used except 160m & WARC Bands
Contacts made on ECHOLINK and TWO METRES will also be accepted. (Separate logs for these would be preferred).
Logs must be received by  by: 30th September, 2017 to Contest Manager Diane Main  VK4DI
PO Box 546, Gatton, Qld. 4343, AUSTRALIA                    
or:
alaracontest@wia.org.au 

QRZ CONTACTS:  
SARLNUUS met Anette Jacobs ZR6D    zr6d@ymail.com        &     Irene Myburgh, ZS6IEA
Facebook ‘HAM Yl’  (YLs only);  yl.beam newsletters     zs6ye.yl@gmail.com      
Current and archive copies of yl.beam are available @
WEST RAND ARC       wrarc-anode.blogspot.com    https://wrarc-anode.blogspot.co.za/   
& also Italian Radio Amateurs Union: QTC U.R.I. –  La rivista della Unione Radioamatori Italiani

RaDAR – Rapid Deployment Amateur Radio, was launched in August 2009  from an earlier idea known as 'shack-in-a-sack”.  Initially it was a requirement to walk at least one kilometre carrying all station equipment, antennas and logistics to the operating position. There was no time limit so the essence of deploying quickly was not there.
The highlight is the “moving” aspect of RaDAR which makes it different to other amateur radio activities. It's more than just making QSO’s, it’s a challenge to rapidly set up an effective station, proving it works by making 5 contacts, packing up, moving and doing it all over again.
RaDAR promotes all modes, although the use of terrestrial repeaters is not allowed for contests.
RaDAR promotes survival and fitness. Radio amateurs need to get out of their comfort zones and put themselves into real life situations if we are going to be of any value “when everything else fails”. It’s not until one gets out of the “shack” that one realises the need to be practised at being able to communicate almost as effectively as we do running high power into high gain antennas with grid-power. Take that away and you’re left with a “bare bones” system which may feel uncomfortable. 


Walking RaDar Challenge – 15 July 2017
This was my (ZS5APT) and Sid’s (ZS5AYC) 2nd attempt at doing the ‘walking RaDar Challenge’, our first attempt in November 2015 was a dismal affair. It was a wet, windy and a totally miserable day here on the South Coast, I opted to stay home, but Sid wanted to know where my sense of adventure was, so armed with a beach umbrella to protect the radio equipment, we drove down to the beach, apparently the sea is a good reflector, I landed up fighting the wind to keep the umbrella over the radio and not being turned inside out. The 1st point (Lucien Beach) we managed one contact and that was just readable, we decide to move to a more sheltered spot between the rocks on the Lilliecrona Blvd, unfortunately the only success we had was getting drenched.  What a sorrowful sight we must have been, two bedraggled amateur radio RATS (RaDar Active Team Sport). Equipment was dry and the coffee and rusks were great.
This time we were going to walk in the Umtamvuna Nature Reserve with members of the ZS5HAC (Hibiscus Amateur Radio club) manning a base station, Sid went during the week to get a map of the walking trails so that we at least had a plan of action, unfortunately the veld had been burnt so that was a no go. The decision was made that Jan (ZS5JC), Emmie (ZS5EB) and Herman (ZS5LH) would do a mobile RaDar challenge working as a club station, while Sid, myself and our son Craig would do the walking RaDar, walking from our QTH to the Skyline Nature reserve and then doing the circular hiking route within the reserve, with 12:00 – 16:00 utc being the allocated time to walk as the Sharks were playing the Lions and Craig is an avid Shark supporter.
Some background info:
Because we love doing SOTA (Summits on the Air) we have worked out a routine that works well, once we are at the activation point, Sid starts erecting the antenna and I set up the Icom 703, battery, coax etc. and of course I log the contacts, by the time he is finished with the antenna we are ready to call cq. This usually takes about 10 minutes, depending on the location.
Icom 703 (love this radio)
RaDar – 15 July 2017
At 12:00 Sid decided to set up the station (KF59EE61NA) in our garden as I was still busy getting ready and ensuring we had adequate water and snacks. Jan was Sid’s first contact (bonus point RaDar to RaDar) with me giving him his 2nd much to his surprise. After our 5 contacts we packed up and started walking towards Skyline for the 2nd activation point (KF59EE62MM), we set up station and within 7 minutes Sid had 5 contacts.
We moved to the 3rd activation point and had to back track as the picnic area was not suitable to set up a station. Once we had setup (KF59EE63MM) it took 15 minutes before we had our 5 contacts, but reports were not good.
The 4th activation point was on a pathway (KF59EE63FI) there was a lot of QRM and QRN after 22 minutes we had made the 5 contacts and decided we would visit my brother-in-law who was pet sitting at Skyline.
We set up the 5th activation point outside Skyline and within 7 minutes had made 5 contacts; unfortunately we couldn’t walk another kilometre to activate a 6th point as we had run out of time. Moral of the RaDar story don’t stop to chat.
Looking forward to the November’s RaDar Challenge we will be visiting our son in Nelspruit and will be either mobile or walking in the Hazyview area.

 
Explanation of  local words: veld = fields; Sharks and Lions – local rugby teams.
Lucien Beach, Margate, and Skyline Nature Reserve, inland of Uvongo, are both located on the South Coast of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Nelspruit (Mbombela) is in northeastern province  Mpumalanga, SA  and Hazyview is nearby and close to the Kruger National Park.     

Calendar  August  2017   
5     August     European HF Championship    1200Z-2359Z,   [Sat.]
6     August     SARL HF Phone Contest    [Sun]
9     August    Womans Day Ladies-Net & SARL YL Sprint    [Wed]
5-12      August    7th YOTA (Youngsters On The Air) Summer Camp, Gilwell Park, UK    
12     August     SANSA Open Day in Hermanus, (South African National Space Agency)
9 - 13     August      Robben Island ZS9V activation.
18     August        Sterre en Planete met Hennie Maas, 1830 SAST Centurion, SA
19 -20     August     ILLW International Lighthouse & Lightship weekend
20     August     SARL HF Digital Contest    [Sun]
21     August     Total solar eclipse across USA, in other countries only a partial eclipse.
25-26 August     YLC (Chile) celebrating 3rd Anniversary
26-27    August    ALARA CONTEST 37th   [26th, 0600 UTC - 27th, 0559 UTC]
27     August     SARL HF CW Contest

2017-08-04

SOUTH AFRICA WOMEN'S DAY 9th AUGUST 2017

 
 
Woman's Day Ladies-Net
Aim: To encourage lady radio amateurs to GOTA (get-on-the-air) and celebrate Womens Day.
Date and Time 9 August 2017 from 0600-0700 UTC [ 0800-0900 SAST/local]
Call “CQ YL” No scoring, no logs.
Frequency  2m Repeater  [VHF Kloof 145.625 MHz (Rptr Tx) & 145.025MHz (Rptr Rx) 
88.5Hz CTCSS access tone, linking up with two repeaters in Pietermaritzburg KZN, and Echolink.
Easy to make contact via Echolink which is not affected by propagation. 
Echolink, select South Africa, then ZS5PMB-R  KZN Linked Repeaters.
Net Controller: ZS5VAL Valerie

South African Radio League YL Sprint
1. Aim:  A fun activity to celebrate Women’s Day between radio amateurs in South Africa. 
Call “YL Sprint”
2. Date and Time: 9 August 2017 from 09:00 to 10:00 UTC [1100-12-- SAST/local]
3. Exchange The exchange is a RS report and YL or OM.
4. Frequency It is a phone sprint on the 40-metre band (7 063 to 7 100 and 7 130 to 7 200 kHz)
5. Scoring Contacts between YL stations are worth 5 points.
Contacts between YL and OM stations are worth 3 points
Contacts between OM stations are worth 1 point.
6. Log Sheets Logs, in ADIF, Cabrillo or MS Excel format and labelled “call sign YL Sprint,” shall be submitted by 16 August 2017 by e-mail to contest@netactive.co.za
[The 15th South African Radio League Contest Manual (2017) Page 48 of 55]