CTARC Ragchew - November '24

Here is your November 2024 issue of Ragchew.  Once again, a fantastic issue of Ragchew.  Charl ZS1ZZ just keeps excelling himself... I've run out of complimentary words ... Absolutely brilliant will do, thank you Charl. We really appreciate all you do for us.

Do enjoy reading this issue. 

Remember the Foxhunt on 16 December, and then the next Club meeting will be on Saturday, 25 January 2025. More details on that to follow shortly.

The next Ragchew issue I think will be 1 February 2025.

You are also welcome to send Anne ham related things that you would like sent out to members, if appropriate, she will gladly do so for you.  To do so, please contact Anne at zs1ct@ctarc.org.za

Download the November 2024 Newsletter as a PDF file [here];

Ragchew is also on our Newsletters Page

CTARC Ragchew - November '23

The November 2023 edition of Cape Town Amateur Radio Centre's monthly newsletter "Ragchew" is now published. Grateful thanks to our editor, Charl ZS1ZZ, for another fine edition.

Thank you to those numerous contributors in this edition!

You are also welcome to send Anne ham related things that you would like sent out to members, if appropriate, she will gladly do so for you.  To do so, please contact Anne at zs1ct@ctarc.org.za

Download the November 2023 Newsletter as a PDF file [here];

Ragchew is also on our Newsletters Page

CTARC End-of-Year Function Postponed - Nov '21

The CTARC's final official meeting for the year, our "Radio Family Day", was scheduled to take place at the clubhouse on Saturday, 27th November 2021, starting at 14h00.

However, weather predictions indicate that date will be rainy and because of Covid restrictions the End-of-Year function is held outside. Therefore, sadly, the 27th November function is POSTPONED.

The new date for the EoY party wil lbe announced presently. We hope to hol;d it on a weekend in  early December.

CTARC Committee Meeting - 15 Nov '21

CTARC Committee members are reminded of the forthcoming committee meeting to be held on-line at 19h00 on Monday, 15 November 2021. PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THE REVISED DATE...

 

Please do make an effort to attend the on-line meeting.

(If you can't be there, please remember to send in your reports and apologies to Rob ZS1SA or Anne.).

CTARC Ragchew - 3 Nov '21

The November 2021 edition of the Cape Town Amateur Radio Centre's bi-monthly newsletter "Ragchew"is now published. Grateful thanks to the editor, Anne, for another fine edition.

Remember please, Anne is always needs articles to publish in Ragchew! This is especially the case during the lock-down. Thank you to those numerous contributors in this edition!

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 November 2021 Newsletter as a PDF file [here];

Ragchew is also on our Newsletters Page

CTARC November Meeting Photos - 29 Nov '20

Yesterday, Saturday 28th November, the Cape Town Amateur Radio Centre held its final social gathering of the year. The meeting was well attended, considering the unique circumstances. The weather was good and the breeze outside contributed to the safety as CTARC members met outside the Clubhouse for a bring-and-braai. (For safety reasons, the clubhouse door remained locked so people remained outside.) Covid-19 safety regulations were adhered to - visitors were registered, wore masks (except when tucking into their food!) and practised social distancing.The braai arrangements worked well - people brought their own food, plates and braai utensils. Liquid refreshments were provided at no costs until the stocks ran out.

 

A fleamarket was set up with some interesting bits of equipment available at nominal prices. Because of safety regulations this was only for CTARC members, some of whom walked away with bargains! The next big fleamarket will be in March 2021, where everyone else will also get the chance to bring and buy.

Special CTARC Calendars for 2021 could be purchased from Anne for a reasonable price. The proceeds of such sales will go to assist Club funds.

Thank you to Anne and Rob for organising the event, to the Committee for setting things up before the meeting (and taking things down again afterwards), and to all the members who attended, to make this an enjoyable and safe final meeting of the year. A special thank you to all, who by wearing their masks and keeping a safe distance, kept the meeting safe for all who attended.

Future club gatherings, under the current regulations, are still possible and safe provided we adhere to the anti-virus guidelines.

We look forward to seeing you all in the new year which (we all do hope) will bring some sense of normality once more. Details of forthcoming meetings will be announced through the usual channels.

Below are some photos of the event, kindly provided by Tony ZS1TK. Unfortunately as folk wore masks (as requested), identification of them remained difficult for the captions...

The flea market provided some interesting items...
 

...and for once the tables weren't crowded with competing bargain hunters!

Anne, Paul ZS1S and Rob ZS1SA

Everybody brought and braai'd their own food.

Rob ZS1SA

Anne registers Hans-Jurgen ZS1HJH and Wolfgang ZS1WLH

Committee members set up the meeting area

CTARC Calendars for 2021 - Nov '20

Once again, the CTARC calendars for the following year will be available at the November meeting and thereafter. 

Printed in full colour, these useable, compact format calendars for 2021 contain the usual days and months of the year, public holidays, the dates of the forthcoming CTARC club meetings and events, as well as the committee meeting dates (which have changed from their previous Monday evenings format). 

Calendars will be available for purchase at forthcoming CTARC meetings for a very reasonable price. All proceeds of sales of these calendars will go to CTARC club funds.

Further enquiries to the CTARC Secretary, Anne, [here].

Hi Everyone

Our end of year function will go ahead on Saturday, 28 November 2020, (weather permitting). 

It will be in the form of a braai held on the lawns outside the clubhouse. Start time 13h00. (The fires will be lit at 13h00). 

The results of the survey are in, and we had 50 replies. (I would like to thank everyone who took the time to complete the survey for me).

We had 22 "yes" replies and of those 18 replied to "bring your own meat".

Therefore the committee have agreed that the club will supply the fires and socially-distanced chairs, plus all liquid refreshments will be complimentary until the stock runs out!

That means you will need to bring along... your meat and accompaniments, plates, cutlery, glasses and braai tongs and extra liquid refreshments if required. Even if you do not intend to braai, please come out and say hello to your friends at the event. 

COVID 19 Precautions

Having the function in this format will be the safest for all and following the Covid-19 protocols. If you have been in contact with someone suffering from Covid-19 or feeling the symptoms yourself please do not attend.

Everyone must sign in and wear a mask at all times except when eating. The club will provide hand sanitiser for entry and at the braai area. It is imperative that social distancing of 1.5 metres be maintained especially at the braai area. Please do not be offended if a committee member asks you to please wear your mask correctly or social distance should they see you are too close to another member. It is for our mutual protection. Remember that wearing of a mask is mostly for the protection of fellow club members, not yourself. Show that you care. 

The committee will have some donated items for sale on a table. If you have items you wish to sell, you may do so providing you only set up your goods from 13h00. Sellers will need to supply their own bottle of hand sanitiser for the protection of their customers to handle goods and cash. To keep the event small and safe we are not inviting non-members to buy or sell. (They will be invited to our usual March bumper flea market).

So that's where we are at right now, it will be great to see some of you again and we hope 2021 may get us all back to some kind of normality without all of these health safety restrictions.

Further updates may be sent out once the weather for the 28th has been confirmed.

 

(As of 25 December, the weather for Cape Town is predicted to be sunny, with a maximum temperature of 22 degrees.)

Regards, 

Anne Bareham
(CTARC Sec:/ Treasurer / Editor)
Mobile: O72-268-12O7

___________________________________________________________________

 

Note: This event has now taken place. A report-back with photos is [ here ].

CTARC End-of-Year Meeting - 28 Nov '20

The last formal meeting of the Cape Town Amateur Radio Centre will take place on the lawns in front of the clubhouse on Saturday, 28th November 2020. Bookmark your diaries now!

This is traditionally held in the form of a bring-and-braai meeting. The Committee is deliberating as to how the event - your last chance to chew the proverbial (and literal!) fat with CTARC members before the new year - may be organised in the context of the Lock-down and health restrictions with which we all must comply.

Owing to the Coronavirus regulations, all persons attending will be required to wear a mask and maintain social distancing of at least 1.5 metres from one another.

Please RSVP to our stalwart Secretary, Anne, if you (and family and friends) are going to attend; logistics need organising in terms of food and braai facilities.

Further details will be announced on the CTARC Bulletins on Sunday mornings.

CTARC Ragchew - November '20

The November 2020 edition of the Cape Town Amateur Radio Centre's bi-monthly newsletter "Ragchew" is now published. Grateful thanks to the editor, Anne, for another fine edition.

Remember please, Anne is always on the look-out for articles to publish in Ragchew! This is especially the case during the lock-down. Please submit them to the editor in MS-Word format.

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 at zs1ct@ctarc.org.za

Download the November 2020 Newsletter as a PDF file [here];

Ragchew is also on our Newsletters Page

CTARC The Last Morse Code Maritime Radio Station in North America - 11 Dec '19

Here is a link to a short but fascinating video about last functioning maritime radio station using Morse Code in the USA - The Bolinas Radio Station at Point Reyes in California - call sign KPH.

While Morse radio telegraphy operators have all but disappeared from ships on the high seas, there are still a few in operation. KPH still services them.

See the video [here].

Photo by Frank Schulenburg - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23112321

CTARC Report on End-of-Year Meeting of 23 Nov '19

Here follows a brief report of the CTARC's final meeting of 2019. A more complete report and photos appear in the Ragchew of January 2020.

On Saturday 23 November the CTARC members met at the clubhouse from around 13h00, for the last formal monthly meeting of the year. It took the traditional format of an afternoon braai and gathering on the lawns outside the clubhouse.

The weather was mild and the gathering was well-attended and old friends, some of whom hadn't seen each other for some time, had the opportunity to catch up on the events of the past year.

The braai fires were lit and soon the conversations were accompanied by the fragrances of hamburger patties and boerewors sizzling on the grid, wafting past the anticipatory nostrils of those present. Ice-cold liquid refreshments added to the conviviality, and a good time was had by all.

While we had the opportunity to reflect on the various meeting and events of the past year, there is still one more to go for 2019 -  another Fox Hunt organised by Rob ZS1SA, which takes place on Saturday, 7 December.

Thank you so much to Rob ZS1SA and Anne for arranging the logistics, to John ZS1AGH [seated in the foreground in the photo below] for the use of his fine gazebo, to those worthy individuals who manned the braai fires, and to Tony ZS1TK for the photo!

CTARC New Vice-Chairman - 18 Nov '19

With the sad loss of Noel ZS1FW who had held the post of CTARC Vice-Chairman until his passing on 29 October 2019, the position became available.

At the committee meeting of 18 November 2019, Paul Johnston ZS1S was unanimously elected to take up the position of CTARC Vice-Chairman for the period 2019 / 2020.

Paul is a very active member, both of our club and the CTARC committee. In addition to this new responsibility, he also manages the CTARC's weekly Bulletins and Repeater matters.

CTARC End-of-Year Meeting - 23 Nov '19

Hi CTARC Members and family.

Our last club get-together of the year will be held on 23 November 2019

As usual this is a social event under the shade trees on the lawn in front of the club house.

Members are encouraged to bring their partners and family to this social event and the club will be sponsoring fresh beef burgers for you.

If beef burgers are not your choice you are more than welcome to bring and braai your own meat on the club’s braai fires.

Ice cold refreshments will be on sale and the braai fires should be ready by 14h00. The club house will be open from 13h00.

This is always a very pleasant afternoon with friends and family. It’s always well attended and one of the highlights on the CTARC calendar.

Please come and join us!

_____________________________________

Note: This event has now taken place.
Reports are [here] and in Ragchew 2020-01 [here]

CTARC Ragchew - 1 Nov '19

The November 2019 edition of the Cape Town Amateur Radio Centre's bi-monthly newsletter "Ragchew" is now published.

Grateful thanks once again to our editor, Anne, for all her excellent work in putting together this month's edition, and to all those who contributed articles.

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

You can advertise ham-related articles for sale in Ragchew, including colour photos, details and prices. To do so, contact the editor here.

Download the PDF file [here];

Ragchew is also on our Newsletters Page

CTARC Photos of End-of-Year Braai - 24 Nov '18

Here are the photos of the CTARC's End-of-Year Braai held on Saturday 24 November 2018.

The written report-back is [here].

Committee members start setting up shop at 11h00...
Left to right: Hylton ZS1HPC, Paul ZS1S, Tony ZS1TM,
Elsabe, Anne, John ZS1AGH

Hylton & John set up the naval pennant with a cryptic
yet convivial message

Left to right: Wolfgang ZS1WLH, Hans-Jurgen ZS1HJH, Paul ZS1S

By 12h00 the rest of the gang started to arrive

Left to right: John ZS1EQ, Danny ZS1BL and Alan ZS1DOG

Left to right: Alan ZS1LS, Andre ZS1AN, Paul ZS1S and Mietek SP3CMX

Left to right: Tack JE1CKA of the 3Y0I Bouvet Island Dx-pedition team,
and Lem ZS1LEM

Left to right: Mike ZS1CO, Barry ZS1FJ, Rob ZS1SA

Foreground left to right: Patric ZS1PDY and Davey ZR1FR

Paul ZS1S with Marcin SP5ES and Mietek SP3CMX,
both of the 3Y0I Bouvet Island Dx-pedition team

Noel ZS1FW and Tony ZS1TM delivered sterling service at the braai fires

OK, for those who can't read nautical flags, the message is:
"Splice The Mainbrace!"

Tom ZS1TA and Tony ZS1TK

Elsabe and Anne fed the multitudes with their delicious hamburgers

Fred ZS1FZ

Having cooked burgers for a chunk of the afternoon,
Noel certainly deserved his own one!

Grateful thanks to Elsabe and Anne for their magnificent catering work

Paul ZS1S's solar-powered amplified MW crystal set

Dennis ZS1AU arrived; all of us were glad to see him at the meeting

The trees provided cool shade and some shelter from the South-Easter...

...whereas others found a spot in the clubhouse

Tjerk ZS1J, Dennis ZS1AU and Andre ZS1AN discuss the forthcoming
DxPedition with members of  the Bouvet Island team

Elsabe and Dennis ZS1AU

It was a most pleasant afternoon, enjoyed by all