Read this and more in the weekly HF Happenings newsletter 

Uganda. Alan, G3XAQ will be active as 5X1XA from Uganda between 11 and 18 March. He will operate CW mostly on the high bands and “especially in the new SARL Africa DX Contest" that will run from 12 UTC on 14 March to 12 UTC on the 15th (exchange: RST and serial number). QSL via G3SWH. Complete information on the Africa All Mode International DX Contest can be found in the SARL Contest Manual (www.sarl.org.za/public/contests/contestrules.asp). 

Kenya. Nick, G3RWF will be active as 5Z4LS from Nairobi, Kenya between 5 and 18 March. He will operate mainly CW on 80 and 10 metres. QSL via home call (OQRS on Club Log) and LoTW. 

Cape Verde. Lukas, HB9EBT will be active as D44TEG from Sao Tiago (AF-005), Cape Verde between 15 and 27 March. He will operate CW on 40 to 10 metres. QSL via home call, direct or bureau. 

Reunion Island. Guy, F5MNW will operate CW only as FR/F5MNW from Reunion Island (AF-016) from 19 March to 14 April. QSL via home call, direct or bureau. 

Eritrea. The SEISA/Foundation for Global Children has announced that, after "many months of careful planning and negotiations,” their Eritrea Project 2015 will include an amateur radio DXpedition to be conducted from Asmara between 6 and 17 March. A multi-national team of nine operators (JH1AJT, N6PSE, DJ9ZB, JA1TRC, JH1NBN, JH1OGX, NQ7R, RA9USU and WD5COV) will be active with four stations with amplifiers, beam antennas for the high bands (10 to 20 m) and four verticals for the low bands (30 to 160 m). The call sign will be issued upon arrival. QSL via M0URX. PayPal donations can be sent to jh1ajt@fgc.or.jp.

 Tromelin Island. The Tromelin Island 2014 Story can be read online and it is possible to order the hardcover book. "We choose to write a report which would tell in detail all that one would like to know about such an adventure: the 'behind the scenes' of FT4TA!", the team says. "In these days of DQRM, anonymous and nasty comments, there is no better way to answer but explain and try to sensitize, show the work done for so an ambitious project". Please visit http://blur.by/1KGFCIT (French version) and http://blur.by/1LziqfS (English version). 

Mauritania. Jean, 5T0JL (F3JL/ON8RA), will use the special call sign 5T2MM between 17 to 20 April. Look for activity in the CQ Manchester Mineira DX Contest (18 and 19 April). QSL via PY4KL. For more details and updates, see http://www.qrz.com/db/5T2MM 

 

Dem Rep of Congo. The Radio Amateur Association of the Democratic Republic of Congo (ARAC) has invited the "Italian DXpedition Team" (IDT) for a short stay in Kinshasa during March. The IDT will be active as 9Q0AR between 10 and 25 March. QSL via I2YSB only direct. A OQRS is available via their Web page. As usual, the official Web site is http://www.i2ysb.com/idt. A dedicated 9Q0HQ Survey form has been added to the Web page. The results will be used in the planning of activity on the various bands. Activity will be on 160 to 6 metres using CW, SSB and RTTY. For information, questions or skeds on the 6 m band please contact ONLY the pilot station Sergio, IK0FTA. For info, questions or problems with the DXpedition LOG, please contact ONLY the pilot station Arturo, IK7JWY. For e-mail messages to the pilot stations see QRZ.com. Please DO NOT SEND E-mail messages about the DXpedition to the Team. They will NOT answer. For updates about the DXpedition, please visit the official forum at http://www.hamradioweb.org/forums/showthread.php?t=25856. If a suitable internet connection is available, the ONLINE REAL-TIME LOG will be at http://win.i2ysb.com/logonline/default.asp?ID_dxpedition=38

# Link to SARL VHF, UHF & MICROWAVES DX TABLE Click here  

NEWS FLASH: DAWN SPACECRAFT WILL GO INTO ORBIT AROUND CERES ON FRIDAY 6 MARCH, 2015. 

RESULTS OF THE PEARS NATIONAL VHF & UHF CONTEST 2015 – Digital communications excelled this time in the PEARS National VHF & UHF Contest, when a number of long distance contacts were recorded country-wide, a new VHF contest distance record was established on 50 MHz digital, and the first DX station logged from a neighbouring state. However, poor weather conditions, rain, gale force winds, power failures in some areas limited the distances on analogue to under 400 km as well as the number of analogue contacts made, and unfortunately the field stations were also missing on the air. Nevertheless 30 logs were received, with the most coming from Division 1, and QSO’s were recorded on all five bands: 50, 70, 144, 432, and 1296 MHz. 

Grand Overall Digital Winner: Andre Botes, ZS2ACP, 6987 points.   

Longest distance on 50 MHz digital: Ettienne Vosloo, ZS1AX, and Jan “Pine” Pienaar, ZS6OB, 1290 km.

Longest Distance on 144 MHz digital: Koos du Plessis, ZS6BFD, and Pieter Jacobs, V51PJ, 1115 km. 

Grand Overall Analogue Winner: Michael Folkey, ZR4MF, 3338 points

Divisional Analogue Winners

Division 1: Mike Kellett, ZS1TAF, 557 points

Division 2: Dr. Eric Hosten, ZS2ECH, 868 points

Division 4: Michael Folkey, ZR4MF, 3338 points

Division 6: Koos du Plessis, ZS6BFD, 2572 points 

Winner Rover Category: Glen Verran, ZS1VG/R, 145 points

Prize Winners of the 144 MHz FM Category

Division 1: Sybrand Strauss, ZS1SAS, 60 points. Prize to be donated by Boland Amateur Radio Klub.

Division 2: Amanda la Mude, ZS2AV, 80 points. Prize to be donated by Rory Morton ZS2BL of S.A.Ham-Shack.

PEARS wish to express their sincere thanks to all the sponsors for offering to donate prizes. New certificates are being designed and will be e-mailed to the winners and runners-up as soon as available. (Read more in “PEARS National VHF/UHF Contest” on the SARL VHF Forum). 

RADIO AMATEUR EXPERIMENTS FOR SOLAR ECLIPSE – On Friday 20 March 2015 a partial solar eclipse will be visible from the UK. The path of totality will pass north of the UK, but up to 89 percent of totality may be experienced, depending on where you live. 

As part of British Science Week, the RSGB has prepared a simple experiment using a portable medium wave radio and we’re encouraging schools and others to get involved. If you are a radio amateur, short wave listener or have more advanced equipment, there are other ways in which you could take the experiment further. 

You’ll find more information and a outline of the experiment on the RSGB website at www.rsgb.org/eclipse-2015 (2-page/878KB PDF). The results will be shared with the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and will also be published in RadCom.

 70 cm SSB/CW NEWS –

ZS6BUN Dick: CQ 432,200 MHz, beaming NW from Nigel with 400 Watts 23 el Yagi horiz.

ZS6BWW Gavin: Heard your CQ. Running 25 Watts into a Diamond X-300 co-linear dual band vertical. ZS6BUN Dick: Thanks for the report. As we go up in frequency the polarization of the antenna makes a big difference.

ZS6BCQ Carl: It seems that our long high gain Yagis are too directional and we do not hear weak signals on the side.

ZS6Y Etienne: ZS6OB has completed my 70 cm Yagi antenna. Will be on by Winter. 

ZS6BUN Dick: If Pine has completed your antenna then you should be on next Saturday!

ZS6NEB Barend: Will also be on 70 cm next weekend with a skeleton slot. 

IS THE 23 cm BAND IN DANGER!

The chairman of the IARU Region 1 reports that the long awaited threat of losing the 23 cm amateur band would bea reality soon, and suggests to promote a shift a shift of the amateur radio allocation to above 1300 MHz. This should be a topic for the next WEC in 2018 he says. Looks like that in Southern Germany and Austria where the first licences for 23 cm ATV repeaters were withdrawn. By the way in some countries the 23 cm band extends already above 1300 MHz. However, other IARU officials comment that they do not yet expecy a complete loss of the 23 cm amateur radio allocation.   

The PEARS National VHF/UHF Contest: Introduction - The PEARS National VHF/UHF contest will take place from 16 to 18 January 2015 and is open to all licensed amateurs in the Republic of South Africa, as well as non-members of the South African Radio League, including those from the neighbouring states. The aim of a VHF/UHF contest is to stimulate activity on these bands, make many long distance contacts possible, establish new records, encourage the improvement of VHF/UHF equipment and advance amateur radio. Dates and Times: The first 22-hour session of the VHF/UHF contest starts at 16:00 UTC on Friday 16 January and closes at 14:00 UTC on Saturday 17 January. The second 22-hour session commences immediately after 14:00 UTC on Saturday and ends at 12:00 UTC on Sunday 18 January 2015.

Hungarian DX Contest: Goals: to promote the traditionally good friendship between the radioamateurs. Date and time: The 3rd full weekend of January, between Saturday 12:00 UT to Sunday 11:59 UT.Participants: any licensed radioamateur station or SWL. Frequencies:  1,8 - 28 MHz (no WARC bands). Modes: CW and SSB. Contacts: Any station can be contacted during the contest. Every station can be contacted once per band and mode. Exchange: RS(T) + QSO number starting with 001. MM stations shall use separate serial numbers per band, starting with 001.

SARL QRP Contest: Aim - The QRP contests are intended to be fun activities to promote QRP operation between radio amateurs. Using homebuilt equipment or operating as a portable / field station and using temporary antennas is encouraged, but is not a requirement. Dates and times - Summer – from 12:00 to 15:00 UTC on Saturday 24 January 2015. General Info - Modes: SSB and CW, Power: 5 watts (PEP) output or less. A station may be worked once per band per mode. There are no antenna restrictions. Frequency - The first hour is limited to the 40 m band only, the remaining two hours the contesters are free to use any HF (non-WARC) band as they see fit. Exchange - RS(T) and Grid locator.

French HF Championship:  Objective - Foreign amateurs work as many F stations in as many of the 97 metropolitans departments (including F6REF HQ) and overseas French territories (DOM/TOM) as possible. Contest period -  CW: Last full weekend in January. Contest Period: 36 hours Starts 0600 UTC Saturday; ends 1800 UTC Sunday Bands and modes: 80, 40, 20, 15, 10 m,  Exchange:  F stations send RST+Dept (or Prefix for overseas French stations)  Non-F stations send RST + serial number (beginning with 001)

BARTG RTTY Sprint: Date and Time: 1200Z, Jan 24 to 1200Z, Jan 25. Bands: 10, 15, 20, 40 and 80 metres. EXCHANGE: 3 or 4 figure Serial number only. (No RST – This is a SPRINT Contest) e.g. 001 or 0001……..or 199 or 1024……

UBA DX Contest: Purpose - To contact as many Belgian and other amateurs as possible and to provide a way to achieve the WABP and the EC Awards in the "UBA Contest". Periods - SSB - January 31 - February 1, 2015 - From 13:00 UTC on Saturday to 13:00 UTC on Sunday. 4 – Bands - 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 metres. 

Tell me more  about Amateur Radio

Radio Amateurs, or "Hams" use two-way radio communication to make contact with other radio amateurs all over the world. They are even able to use satellites and on occasion speak with astronauts. Radio Hams can do this from home or while mobile in cars, boats or on foot.

Radio Hams have a full range or communication modes at their disposal. These include plain voice, Morse code, numerous digital computer modes and even graphical modes like television. As a licensed amateur radio operator you will be able to join in experiments using all these modes.

Amateur radio can be enjoyed by young and old, male and female, even the most severely disabled can make friends around the world from their own home. This hobby knows no boundaries.

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