by Dave Gemmell ZS6AAW
and the Old Timers.

International Museums Weekend. 19/20-06-2004.

International Museums Weekend. A special event took place over the weekend, 19th – 20th of June and yours truly had a good time on the morning of the 19th. I had hoped to contact a few overseas station but alas that was not to be! One ZS station was heard in contact with a USA station but I could not hear him so it was useless to try. This leads me to a subject that has puzzled me for a long time. Is it due propagation conditions, equipment and antenna systems inadequacies or poor operating practices that we don’t make these DX contacts ?

At least, I was in contact with the Antique Wireless Association on most Saturday mornings at about 09H00. I had hoped that a few more museum would have been represented but, alas, it was not to be!

Any way it seems that it is to be an annual event so those hams intending to take part in next year’s event are requested to register via the International Museums Weekend website at www.ukradioamateur.org/imw. The organiser, Harry M1BYT, asks that you register so that everyone knows you are taking part and where you are located. Obviously, dear Reader, you have only just received you copy! This should not put you off as there must be lots of occasions when museums have some special event or occasion.

AND THE REST OF THE YEAR?

No radio amateur in this country should complain that nothing is happening on the SA Ham scene.

Especially with the following annual events, etc. Note that these are FUN days not contests where the pressure is on…………….

The above events provide lots of “public relations” for the “institutions involved but even more for Amateur Radio as a whole. So do be careful!!!

Nevertheless, there are other dates on which the “historically minded” hams can set up a special event station. The following are a few occasions when quite a few South Africans took part or aircraft in which they flew. Of course, week days are more often than not rather inconvenient by the nearest Saturday or Sunday, morning and/or afternoon would be fine.

Anyway, there are a few ideas!! Go ahead and try one or two of them out. Have a look at the SARL Contest Calendar so there aren’t any clashes with other events! Don’t forget to co-ordinate via the SARL HQ office as well as the website manager.

From then on it’s up to the hams to do the rest, which is to come on the air and have fun!!!

Don’t wait for someone else start a special event yourself!! You cannot sit back and expect the SARL to organize it for you! But do let them know what’s going on. If you are operating according to the correct radio regulations, who can stop you?

The rest of the address information stays the same, namely;
davegemmell@bmknet.co.za and P.O.BOX 77, IRENE, 0062 and TEL: and FAX: 012 – 667 2153 (NB. Please ask for the FAX!)