Adventure Radio Club ZS1ARC

Dedicated to operating in the great outdoors

Union’s End Expedition
Special Event Field Station
09 – 11 August 2013

 

Adventure Radio Club is activating a special event station from
the wild and deserted confluence of the borders of
South Africa, Namibia and Botswana

 

xLatest Newsx

Station ZS3ARC is on the air from Union’s End.

Logistics proved too difficult to erect the station at Union’s End every day and an alternative plan was made to camp in Namibia and to originate the signal from Union’s End in South Africa.  The antenna mast is erected in South Africa at Union’s End and the coax cable runs to the camp site on the other side of the fence in Namibia.

Frequencies are 3680, 7080 and 14180 kHz.  No time table is published.  The operator is Martin ZS1SM.

 

 

 

 

Union's End is not a camp or a town; it is merely the extreme north-westerly point of South Africa. This historical point where three countries meet, is marked by a small information board, a pole bearing the longitude and latitude of the spot and nothing else. Union's End was named as such because it was the most remote border post in the Union of South Africa at the time. Namibia is fenced off from Botswana and South Africa, but, as the spot lies in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, there is no fence between Botswana and South Africa at this point. From Union's End, the mostly dry Nossob River bed forms a natural border between South Africa and Botswana.

The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park includes the largest expanse of continuous sand mass in the world and is also home to the Kalahari lion, which have specifically adapted to the desert through having lighter fur than their counterparts. The park covers more than 37 000 square kilometres and is one of the few ecosystems in southern Africa to include such a large variety of wildlife, including sixty species of mammals. The park consists of the former Gemsbok National Park in Botswana and the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park in South Africa. In 1999 the two countries agreed to manage the two parks as a single ecological unit.

Adventure Radio Club ZS1ARC will activate a special event station from Union's End on
 Friday 09 August 2013 to Sunday 11 August 2013 under the callsign ZS3ARC.

 

The expedition will be travelling to Union’s End from Monday 05 to Thursday 08 August 2013 and using the callsign ZS1ARC/M on the expedition frequencies.

 

Expedition Details

 

Callsign: ZS3ARC

Location: Union’s End

Grid Square: KG05

Frequencies: 3680, 7080 and 14180 kHz  (Possible operation on 10 MHz)

Transceiver: Icom IC-706Mk2G

Amplifier: Metron 1000B

Antennas: Separate dipoles for 80m, 40m and 20m and a mobile whip with Icom AH-4 tuner

Antenna Support: Vehicle mounted pneumatic mast – height 10m

Power Supply: Trailer mounted Lister diesel engine with 220VAC 5kVA generator and deep-cycle batteries

 

QSL Route:

PO Box 180
Milnerton

7435

South Africa

 

A special QSL card will be issued depicting a photograph of the area.

 

Contact: Email

 

All the latest news will be published here.  Please visit again.

 

 

Published 23:55B 10.08.2013

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