RaDAR – Kobus ZS6BOS’s challenge results

Kobus ZS6BOS has become one of the leading competitors in ZS. His operating style and reporting is neat and friendly.

Kobus left his QTH at 08h30 UTC and made his first stop at KG33sp.  (See log sheet for contacts) Next stop KG33so94os where he made my 5 contacts and went on to KG33tp40be and spent the rest of his 4 hours as a field station. As per RaDAR rules, Kobus included a foto of each position.  Here is one of them.

Well done Kobus! Hope to see you in the November challenge again.

RaDAR – Challenge July 2019 review

I eventually found the time to write my review. Being recently retired I found I’m quite a busy man and wonder where I ever got the time to go to a “saltmine” for eight hours a day!

HF conditions are really a challenge nowadays and even under less strenuous timelines than the RaDAR challenge it’s days or weeks that I go without a QSO! That determined my strategy for the day.

Usually I don’t rely too heavily on satellite communications and I hadn’t done RaDAR SatComms in quite a while. Choosing my four hours I had to make the first attemt a test. I had a great QSO with Tom ZR6TG via the AO-91 cubesat.

In the background, my RaDAR training ground – a full 1.6 Hectare of dense bush.

Then the four hour challenge started. I made no attempt at setting up any HF antennas but there were two permanently in place in my RaDAR training ground, a 40m / 20m delta loop (In the background above) and another two hundred meters away, a linked dipole.

I at least walked to new locations for the satellite QSO’s deploying quiclky and making quick pass evaluations for direction and elevation. I used the SA AMSAT satellite antenna which is very lightweight and effective. It’s a wonder antenna as the theory behind it goes well beyond that of a straightforward yagi and diplexer.

A low elevation pass but three good QSO’s ZS1LEM, ZS1OB and ZS2BK . As could be expected it’s difficult to near impossible to get the full quota of five QSO’s as per RaDAR movement specifications, so I just returned to “base” after each successful deployment.

ISS Detector Android app for pass predictions

Three QSO’s via SO-50 with ZS2BK, ZS1OB and ZS6GL, Graham is very involved with the RAE and inspiring young people to become radio amateurs.

An area I cleared using a bush cutter and standard petrol lawnmower modified to handle the rough environment.

I had included the last hour for possible CW QSO’s through a local CW sprint that takes place every Saturday and Sunday between 4pm and 5pm. I managed one QSO using my X5105 Xeigu and the linked dipole.

Not a true RaDAR challenge but I had lots of fun and that what it’s all about.