SARL Hamnet 40m Simulated Emergency Contest 2002


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Operating my Field Station on Rondebosch Common

The annual SARL Hamnet 40m Siimulated Emergency Contest took place on Sunday 14th April 2002. The contest tests emergency preparedness and requires as many contacts as possible with other stations from South Africa and neighbouring states over a 2 hour period. Although base stations, stationary mobile and field stations may enter, the scoring systems gives more points for contacts with field stations and stationary mobiles than with base stations.

I decided to set up a field station in Rondebosch Common, a public park not far from my home. Stacey and I erected an 8m portable mast with a ZS6BKW multi-band dipole (similar to a G5RV, for more information see my presentation). I operated from under the shade of a nearby tree. There weren't a great number of participants - I made 23 scooring QSOs in 2 hours, although I'm sure that some operators made many more - but it was an enjoyable afternoon nevertheless. A highlight was my first ever contact with a ZS3 (Northern Cape Province) operator, since they are few and far between.