Sunday 24 July 2016

CTARC Forthcoming Lighthouse / Lightship Weekend - 20/21 Aug '16

A pic from 2015 - Paul /ZS1S and
Hylton /ZR1HPC start setting up the
beam antenna's mast
The next meeting of the Cape Town Amateur Radio Centre is the International Lighthouse/Lightship Weekend, which is scheduled to take place on Saturday 20 August and Sunday 21 August 2016. Our club will set up a radio station at the Green Point Lighthouse as it traditionally has done for a number of years.

It is a great opportunity to work local and DX lighthouse / lightship stations and radio amateurs. In the evening we usually have a braai as well, which is a great social occasion.

A heads-up to members that we will need a number of hands to help erect the antennas and set up the station on the Saturday morning, and again to dismantle it again on Sunday afternoon.

Committee members are reminded that we will have a meeting on Monday 15 August at 19h00 at the CTARC clubhouse.

Further details will be published and announced on the CTARC bulletins closer to the time.

CTARC - Support the 145.750 MHz Repeater - 23 Jul '16

If you use the Cape Town Amateur Radio Centre's 2m repeater on 145.750 MHz, please consider helping to support this popular repeater.

Your money donations can be paid to the CTARC Repeater Fund, and not just the Western Cape Repeater Working Group (WCRWG). These funds help pay for repeater maintenance and for acquisition and installation of new equipment.


Our latest issue is the antenna on the 145.750 repeater at Kanonkop. The old antenna has been up on the tower for years and needs replacement, not just maintenance.
Please send your donations directly to our club account with the reference: "CTARC Repeater Fund" to the following bank account:

Account Name – Cape Town Amateur Radio Centre
Bank – Standard Bank
Branch – CLAREMONT
Type of account: Current Account
Branch Code – 025 109
Account Number – 072 561 580

CTARC Report-Back of AGM - 24 Jul '16

On Saturday 23 July 2016, the Cape Town Amateur Radio Centre held its AGM at 14h00. In spite of some rather soggy winter weather, the meeting was well attended.

The meeting was opened by CTARC chairman Rob / ZS1SA, who welcomed members and visitors, and then delivered his Chairman's Report for the past year.

This was followed by the Secretary's Report by our well-organised secretary, Anne.

Our vice-chairman, Noel / ZS1FW, then read out the Treasurers Report on behalf of Danny / ZS1BL who was unable to attend the meeting.

Our chairman then had the pleasant job of handing over the Club Awards for the year.

The Golden Wellie Award (the Wellington boot is in fact black in colour), which celebrates that member whose attendance of club events (through rain, hail, sleet, snow, dust storms, hurricanes and other meteorological phenomena) has been most consistent, this year was awarded to Tony / ZS1TK.

The Club Participation Award, which is awarded for significant club involvement, assistance and participation, this year was awarded to Barry / ZS1FJ in absentia.

The Buck Taylor Trophy (the CTARC's top award) was awarded to Davey / ZR1FR for his extremely helpful and generous assistance of our club recently.

At this point, the chairman stood down and handed over the reigns to John / ZS1AGH while nominations for the post of club chairman and the committee were called for. The entire committee was re-elected, with Rob as chairman, for another year. The committee's details are [here].

The formalities now concluded, the club's members and visitors were asked to briefly assemble outside the clubhouse for a group photograph (see below).

Thereafter we returned to the clubhouse for a bowl (or two) of not one but two delicious varieties of hot soup kindly provided by Anne and Elsabe, as well as a glass of warming sherry for those who required a little further warming on that cold afternoon. A good opportunity to catch up and natter with friends then ensued.

Paul / ZS1S later on continued with some repair work to the antenna cable feed-in panel, which has been in need of refurbishment since our recent Antenna Work Party.

By about 16h45 the meeting had run its course and we made our way home.

Below are some photos of the event:

The quiet before the storm...
Anne & Elsabe await the arrival of the hungry masses

Rob / ZS1SA has just acquired a transformer,
Note the unique model of his car (next to the number plate)

Members settle down for the meeting

Rob / ZS1SA reads out the Chairmans Report. Throughout the event
the slide show from the 70th Anniversary celebration was projected

Anne delivers the Secretary's Report

Noel / ZS1FW delivers the Treasurer's Report

Tony / ZS1TK receives the Golden Wellie Award from Rob /  ZS1SA

Rob / ZS1SA announces the Club Participation Award for Barry /  ZS1FJ

Davey / ZR1FR receives the Buck Taylor Trophy from Rob / ZS1SA

John / ZS1AGH takes over as temporary club chairman while nominations
are received for chairman and committee and the voting takes place.

Rob / ZS1SA, our re-elected club chairman commits himself
and the committee to another year at the helm of the CTARC,
in service to the club's members

Group shot outside the clubhouse.
In the foreground is John / ZS1AGH'S prized Dart.

Left to right: Wolfgang /ZR1WHL, Hans-Jurgen /ZS1HJH, Mike /ZS1PE,
Noel /ZS1FW and Richard /ZS1RIC

Anne and Elsabe provided litres of very delicious soup!
(Chicken Noodle on the left, Butternut on the right)

And to keep the chill away there was a glass of sherry

Much discussion taking place after the AGM, as is always the case

Paul / ZS1S and Mike / ZS1FP.
In the background are Tony /  ZS1TM and Rob / ZS1SA

Gerald / ZS1GRM makes an emphatic point to John / ZS1AGH
and Geoff / ZR1GFT

Noel / ZS1FW and Charles / ZS1CJO

Wolfgang / ZR1WLH, Hans-Jurgen / ZS1HJH and Richard / ZS1RIC

Saturday 16 July 2016

CTARC AGM 2016 - Formal Announcement of Meeting - 23 Jul '16

This is the official notification that the Cape Town Amateur Radio Centre's 2016 Annual General Meeting has been called. This will take place at the CTARC Clubhouse at the Round table (Belvedere) Community Centre, off Laidlaw Lane in Rondebosch, at 14h00 on Saturday 23 July 2016.

The relevant documents (2016 AGM Agenda, Minutes of 2015 AGM, Proxy & Nominations Form, Membership Form) were sent to members last week. However, links to those relevant documents are provided as PDF files below.

2016 AGM Agenda

The Minutes of the 2015 AGM

A Proxy and Nomination Form:

If you cannot be at the meeting, you may give someone else your proxy. Also, if you would like to nominate somebody to serve on the committee or you would like to nominate a club member for one of the club awards, you may use that form.

Club Subscriptions:

A reminder that your annual club subscriptions for 2016 / 2017 are now due. The annual subscription fee has been increased for the first time in several years by only R20-00 and is now R120-00 for Members and R100-00 for Pensioners over 65. Remember, membership for Spouses of  club members is available at 50% of the main Members price.

(EFT is preferred if possible please, but we will be collecting cash subs and forms at the AGM. If you have already paid your subscriptions, thank you. If paying by EFT, please send me proof of payment, that your EFT payment may confirmed.)

Membership Renewals:

There is a Membership / Renewal Form which has our bank details and is to please be completed if any of your contact details have changed in the past year - so that we can keep our database current.

Join us for afternoon refreshments after the meeting. We look forward to seeing you on the 23rd July.

Regards

Anne
(CTARC Secretary)

Friday 8 July 2016

CTARC Committee Meeting - 20 Jul '16

There will be a meeting for members of the CTARC committee, at 19h00 on Wednesday, 20 July 2016, at the CTARC Clubhouse.

Please note this is a (once-of) change from the usual Monday evening meeting before the Saturday members meeting.

Please diarise accordingly.

Wednesday 6 July 2016

CTARC Documents for AGM 2016

As announced, the Cape Town Amateur Radio Centre will hold its important Annual General Meeting for 2016 on Saturday 23 July 2016 at 14h00.

The following PDF documents have been e-mailed to those CTARC members for whom we have e-mails. For your convenience they are also available here on the CTARC Blogspot.

Please click on the appropriate link below:

AGM 2016 Agenda
























AGM 2015's minutes


AGM 2016 Proxy and Nomination Form






















CTARC Membership Form for 2016-2017





Sunday 3 July 2016

CTARC Forthcoming Meeting - 23 July '16

The Cape Town Amateur Radio Centre will hold its Annual General Meeting on Saturday 23rd July 2016, at 14h00, at the CTARC clubhouse [here] in Rondebosch. All CTARC members are encouraged to attend.

At this important meeting, the chairman will deliver his report, followed by the treasurer delivering his report. The various awards and trophies will be handed out to their recipients and and the new office bearers will be elected.

Afterwards there will be an opportunity for members to socialise over refreshments.

More details to be published closer to the time.

Friday 1 July 2016

CTARC Ragchew July 2016

The July 2016 edition of the Cape Town Amateur Radio Centre's bi-monthly newsletter "Ragchew" has been published. Grateful thanks to club secretary Anne for yet another fine edition!

You can download the July Newsletter as a PDF directly from [here].

Alternatively it can be found on our Newsletters Page