QRP
THE ------- COLUMN APRIL-MAY 2004.
    80 / 40

by Dave Gemmell ZS6AAW
and the Low Power Bunch!

1. (a)

(b) Low Power (SINGLE-OP LOW or SINGLE-OP [BAND] LOW): Same as 1(a) except that output power shall not exceed 100 watts. Stations in this category will compete only with other low power stations.

(c) QRP (SINGLE-OP ALL QRP or SINGLE-OP [BAND] QRP): Same as 1(a) except that output power shall not exceed 5 watts. Stations in this category will compete only with other QRP stations.

(d) Assisted/with Packet (SINGLE-OP-ASSISTED ALL HIGH or SINGLE-OP-ASSISTED ALL LOW): Same as 1(a) except the passive use (no self-spotting) of DX spotting nets or other forms of DX alerting is permitted. Stations in this category will compete only with other Assisted stations.

Wireless Institute of Australia’s Welcome to HF QSO Party. On New Year’s Day 2004 Australian radio amateurs will gain access to the High Frequency (HF) bands using licences that do not require the passing of Morse code telegraphy tests.

The International Amateur Radio Union has been campaigning for more than three years to have code tests removed as a licence requirement to operate on amateur bands below 30 MHz, and for Australia this will happen on the 1st of January 2004.

To celebrate the occasion, there will be a “WIA Welcome to HF QSO Party.” It is going to last 35 hours – starting with the early arrival of New Year’s Day down-under at 1300 hours UTC on 31 December and concluding at 2400 hours UTC on the 1st of January.

The QSO Party is an all mode activity – on all HF bands, with most of the
activity expected on 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 metres. The event aims to welcome VK radio amateurs appearing on HF bands for the first time. These can be identified by three-letter VK call sign suffixes that begin with the letters H, T, U, X, Y and Z. WIA amateur stations will be on air to join the HF QSO Party, and these have two-letter call sign suffixes “WI” or three letter suffixes starting with “WI.”

Listen for the call “CQ WIA Welcome to HF QSO Party.”

8. SADX Club Looking For Old Members. Eddie Engelbrecht is looking for ex-members of the SADX Club (South African Short-wave Listeners Club).  A number of years ago we used to use the clubhouse of the Johannesburg Branch, SARL.  Since then the club has gone to pot for various reasons outside of our control, such as computers, etc.  I would be pleased if ex-members would contact me on my cell phone at 072-655-1895 or 011-837-5177 or on my e-mail address finetuner@absamail.co.za, for a re-union.