Month: March 2017

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RaDAR – The prelude to the April 2017 Challenge

By this time various parameters have been taken into account to determine an optimum four hour session within the available twenty four hour window. As far as ZS is concerned the times from 13:00 to 17:00 UTC have been chosen for the greatest chance of local and international RaDAR communications. Of course propagation is the gateway to success.

A “RaDAR International” WhatsApp group has been created as a means of notifications for precise times, frequencies and modes that we know where to find each other where in the past it was like finding “a needle in a haystack”. Already many of the key players have joined the group. Presently the group administrators are Greg N4KGL, Pieter V51PJ and Eddie ZS6BNE. If you wish to become an administrator to add other RaDAR inclined radio amateurs to the group, please let one of the administrators know and they will give you admin status. Many hands make light work.

It’s worthwhile noting again that the RaDAR Challenge is not a contest. We challenge ourselves to communicate while keeping rapid deployments and movements in mind. Accurate information exchange like 10 digit grid locations is important. Moving quickly using whatever means of transport and redeploying is always a challenge.

We compare experiences and points afterwards not to be winners of a contest but knowing how effective your own deployments and communications abilities are. Learning, improving and sharing ideas.

Unfortunately, or maybe good for a change, I’ll be setting up as a portable station with a little more power than what I’ve always used. But I’ll be there looking out for the little signals using the WhatsApp messages as a guideline.

Good luck guys and have FUN!!!

73 de Eddie ZS6BNE

 

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RaDAR – Differences in application

It is really awesome that the concept of RaDAR movements have been included within the KFF section of WWFF’s (World Wide Fona and Flora) award system. There are however small differences in it’s application which the RaDAR operator needs to keep in mind.

The various applications of RaDAR fit in well with the overall infrastructure of the environment within RaDAR operations take place.

Snapshots have been taken to explain the details more clearly.

This is applicable to the challenge of RaDAR typically during the three international RaDAR challenges that take place each year.

Here again, the points system is applicable to the three yearly RaDAR challenges.

The RaDAR movements and the required movement distances relative to the mode of transport are valid throughout every RaDAR application.

The essence of RaDAR within the WWFF program is more about RaDAR movements within parks for an additional award. The keywords here are “making five or more contacts”. The focus is more on activating parks than fast deployments but introducing the concept of movements, or simply moving the station to another location thus including the additional challenges of RaDAR.

Note too, that there is a time limit of 24 hours wherein the movements during an activation that must take place. That places a little stress on the activator but worth the extra effort for an awesome award!

The most ideal methods of movement are none less than being on foot or on a mountain bike but RaDAR caters for all kinds of movements. The distances are there to introduce reasonable fairness between the various methods of movement.

WWFF-KFF awards are really awesome. They fill the gap where RaDAR has no award system. RaDAR remains simply a concept by which alternative ways of practicing amateur radio can be made.

Further information can be seen here https://wwff-kff.com/

 

73 de Eddie ZS6BNE