Monday 23 March 2020

CTARC All Club Meetings & Events Cancelled - 23 Mar '20


Dear CTARC Members

Reminder: This Saturday, 28 March, Monthly Meeting Cancelled.

I am sure you will have heard by now either on the Sunday bulletin or on our blog spot that this Saturday's meeting has sadly been cancelled due to concerns over the current Covid-19 virus outbreak.

The Chairman and his Committee have decided that all CTARC events, workshops and meetings will be cancelled; this will include Committee meetings and work parties, until this current crisis is over.

Update: With the recently announced national lock-down from 26 March to 16 April, any club-related activities that would take people out of their homes are restricted anyway.

We wish you all well and please be safe, looking forward to chatting with everybody over the air.

Kind regards & 73

The CTARC Committee

Sunday 15 March 2020

CTARC Committee Meeting Cancelled - 23 Mar '20


CTARC Committee members please note that the committee meeting scheduled  for 19h00 on Monday, 23 March 2020 has now been CANCELLED owing to the Coronavirus situation.

The decisions that need to be made will be done by e-mail & WhatsApp instead.

With apologies for the sudden change in plans, but we live in interesting times...

CTARC Forthcoming March Meeting Postponed - 28 Mar '20

Following a considered decision by the CTARC Committee, the planned members' meeting for Saturday 28 March 2020 at the clubhouse at 14h00 has been POSTPONED. We apologise for the last-minute decision.

It is believed that the rapidly spreading Coronavirus is reaching the stage where it would be too risky for many of our members, many of whom are in the "target zone" age profile, to attend the meeting in the closely-packed clubhouse.

Also, large gatherings are now a potential risk too.

When the meeting does indeed take place, Lem ZS1LEM will do a presentation on Satellites and the equipment radio amateurs use to work them. It promises to be very interesting.

Further details will be published via the usual channels presently.

Tuesday 10 March 2020

CTARC Ragchew - Mar - April '20

CTARC Ragchew 2020 March & April
The March / April 2020 edition of the Cape Town Amateur Radio Centre's bi-monthly newsletter "Ragchew" is now published.

This edition is a bumper one, with three separate PDF files:
  • The CTARC Newsletter "Ragchew", edited by Anne;
  • A supplement on Operating the Morningstar Remote-Controlled Station, by Tjerk ZS1J, with Alan ZS1LS contributing;
  • Another supplement on Operating the QO-100 Satellite via the CTARC's Morningstar station, by Tjerk ZS1J, comissioned and mentored by Fred ZS1FZ and Alan ZS1LS, as well!

Very grateful thanks once to our editor, Anne, for all her excellent work in putting together this month's bumper edition, and to all the other contributers.

Remember please, Anne is always on the look-out for articles to publish in Ragchew!

You can advertise ham-related items - for sale, swop or wanted-to-buy - in Ragchew, including colour photos, details and prices. To do so, please contact the editor [here].

Download the March / April 2020 Newsletter PDF file [here];

Download the Operating the Morningstar Remote-Controlled Station PDF file [here];

Download the Operating the QO-100 Satellite PDF file [here]

Ragchew is also on our Newsletters Page



Sunday 8 March 2020

CTARC Yet More Photos of CTARC Fleamarket - 7 Mar '20

The catering zone gets set up
Peter ZS1PC kindly sent us his photos of the CTARC Flea Market.

Here they are.


Tom ZS1AFS, Sue ZS1AFR & Andre ZS1AN
Hans-Jurgen ZS1HJH [centre] had some high quality gear on offer.

Table groaning under the collective weight of fine test gear on offer

A variety of rigs, test gear, PSUs...






An MFJ antenna analyser didn't have to wait too long
to find a new owner...

Nick ZS1ZD, Peter ZS1JX, Leon ZS1MM and Barry ZS1FJ






The catering was up to its usual high standard, thanks to
Elsabe and Anne

Centre: Rob ZS1SA, Lem ZS1LEM and Celso ZS1MYG







Elsabe, Anne and John ZS1AGH

All the boerie rolls were sold!



Mike ZS1FP [centre right] kindly brought along his PA system
for the announcements.


Some legacy Quad audio gear at Paul ZS1S's tables

John ZS1EQ scored a hefty variac transformer!






CTARC More Photos of Fleamarket - 7 Mar '20

Tony ZS1TK kindly sent us his photos of the CTARC Mega-Flea Market of 7 March 2020.

Here they are:


John ZS1EQ provided sterling service at the braai fires.

Tony ZS1TK's stand.

Our dear catering ladies provided scrumptious boerewors rolls
throughout the afternoon

   

CTARC Photos of Flea Market of 7 March - Batch 5

Batch 1  *  Batch 2  *  Batch 3  *  Batch 4  *  Batch 5  *  Pics by ZS1TK



A Hallicrafters HT-44, a Johnson Viking Ranger II
and an Icom IC-78

The weather was good and many folk were there


In the heat of the afternoon, the trees provide welcome shade.


Chris ZS1CDG [on right]

Paul ZS1S always brings lots of interesting bits & pieces

Tony ZS1TK [left] - lots of equipment on offer,
including a Trio TS-700 and an Ameritron Linear Amp & PSU

Grant ZS1GRC


Left to right: John ZS1EQ, James ZS1ZKZ, Tom ZS1TA and Dirkie ZS1X


Several raffle prizes were announced by Danny ZS1BL and Paul ZS1PSK,
with Andre ZS1F and Mike ZS1CO walking off with prizes
Mike ZS1CO collects his raffle prize
The two catering stalwarts, Elsabe and Anne, take a well-earned
breather after having fed the ravenous multitudes

Afterwards we sat around in a circle discussing the flea market.

General consensus was that it was a great success.
We will do it all again next year!

Batch 1  *  Batch 2  *  Batch 3  *  Batch 4  *  Batch 5
 
Pics by Z1TK  *  Pics by ZS1PC