Update: ZS1I 6 Meter CW Beacon Project (Part 2)

In Part 1 available HERE I gave a short overview of the Next Generation Amateur Radio Beacon (s) for the Southern Cape.  You can read more HERE about the ZS1I 6 Meter Magic Band Project in the Southern Cape Area of South Africa.  This past few days I have been working on the 6m CW Beacon Amplifier.  As I said before this is not an elaborate beacon but more of a modular / practical beacon.  The amplifier for the beacon was damaged.  More on this available HERE.  Although the 6 meter " magic band season" is diminishing work must continue on the "Simple Simon" Beacons.  After all the hobby is about having fun  .... aint it?

Today it was time to see if the magic smoke will come out of the amplifier.  Well I soldered the power cables to the unit and ensure that the polarity is correct.  The buck converter power supply was installed in a 3d printed enclosure.  A word of warning.  Although the "manual" indicated that this amplifier is rated for 12 v DC power,  I found several sources that indicate that the unit must be powered by 9 v DC.  Rather safe than sorry I set the DC power output to 9 volts.

I connected the amplifier and switched the buck converter on.  LEDS  came on both on the buck converter as well as the amplifier and thankfully no magic smoke escaped from both units.  I switched off and connected the rest of the beacon modules except the low pass filter.  Switched on again and again no smoke, just the harmonious tones of CW filled the Shack.  I setup the SDR Receiver and a simple dipole antenna to receive the signals.  Well all went well and the beacon chimed on for more than an hour.  The amplifier was not hot to the touch and the CW was also picked up from an adjacent room without any antenna connected to the beacon.  See images and video.  Unfortunately I do not have a QRP / ORPP Watt Meter but the signal strength reflected via the computer and SDR Receiver was more than enough to satisfy my "taste-buds".

So far so good.  I now need a project cabinet and will install the modules which will include the low pass filter.  Once every module is installed I will test the 6m CW Beacon to the full.  So far I am quite impressed but the proof lies in the pudding!!  Stay tuned!!

Feedback on the 2026 SARL National Convention / Terugvoer oor die SARL 2026 Nasional Konvensie : 2 - 3 May/Mei 2026

 Image / Foto:  The / Die Willows

 

Feedback from the 2026 SARL National Convention, including the SARL 100 Book available HERE (PDF).

 Terugvoer van die 2026 SARL Nasionale Konvensie, insluitend die SARL 100 Boek beskikbaar HIER (PDF).

ZS1I 40 Meter WSPR Beacon Activity on the Increase before G2 Solar Storm

Image:  Dr. Tamitha Skov via GEOCRON

With a G2/Moderate storm intervals (Kp =6) currently in progress WSPR activity might decrease as from 5 May 2025. Just before the current Solar Storm the following activity were spotted relating to the ZS1I 40 Meter WSPR Beacon.

 

Rulhof ZS4RM, Jong Radio Amateur van Bloemfontein weer vereer vir sy bydrae tot Amateur Radio

Rulhof van der Merwe ZS4RM het weereens gewys dat hy nie gras onder sy voete laat groei wanneer dit by die Amateur Radio stokperdjie kom nie.  Die Blog het al verskeie kere artikels geskryf oor hierdie jong dinamiese radio amateur. As gekyk word na die lesersgetalle dan is dit duidelik dat die artikels tot groot belanstelling onder die publiek gelei het.  Indien u die artikels nog nie gelees het nie kan u gerus op die onderstaande skakels klik om meer uit te vind oor die jong man: 

(1) Bloemfonteinse jong aktiewe radio amateur skud die Rosestad behoorlik wakker! (887)

(2) Jong Radio Amateur van Bloemfontein ontvang toekennings tydens die afgelope SARL Nasionale Konvensie (298)

(3) Vyftienjarige Radio Amateur ryg die pryse in - Volksblad (77)

(4)  Jong Bloemfonteinse radio amateur bevorder Amateur Radio Kommunikasie in sy Gemeenskap, Suid Afrika asook die Buiteland. (418)

(5)  Rulhof ZS4RM - AllStar Portable / Mobile Node Project (243)

(6)Tiener (15) van Bloemfontein ry die radiogolf  -  Karen van der Berg  OVM NUUS (Nie Beskikbaar)

Rulhof van der Merwe het in Mei 2022 toe hy 13 jaar oud was die Amateur Radio Eksamen (RAE) suksesvol afgele en die roepsien ZU4R  verwerf.  Hy het 'n uitdaging aanvaar om sy ZS roepsein  te bekom en 'n jaar later in Mei 2023 op die ouderdom van 14 jaar het hy sy ZS roepsein vewerf nadat hy die eksamen suksesvol geslaag het.  Die roepsein ZS4RM is aan hom toegeken twee dae  voor sy 15 de verjaardag.

Foto:  Die Willows

Die 2026 SARL (Suid-Afrikaanse Radioliga) Nasionale Konvensie en Jaarlikse Algemene Vergadering (AGM) het van 1–3 Mei 2026 by The Willows Holiday Resort & Conference Centre in Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) plaasgevind.  Die suksesvolle byeenkoms is aangebied deur die Port Elizabeth Amateur Radio Society (PEARS ZS2PE).

Rulhof is nie iemand wat kan stilsit nie. Die daarstelling van 'n uiters suksesvolle amateur radio netwerk in die Suid Kaap wat gebruik maak van VOIP en RF Radio Send / Ontvangers (herhalers) om plaaslik asook wereldwyd  te  kan kommunikeer met 'n klein twee rigting radio het Rulhof se belangstelling onmiddelik geprikkel. Hy het aangedui dat hy ook 'n Echolink Netwerk wil oprig in Bloemfontein  sodat plaaslike radio amateurs die stelsel kan gebruik om ook wereldwyd te kan kommunikeer.  'n Verdere beweegrede was dat hy graag meer aktiwiteite daar wou stel in Bloemfontein wat sou behels die uitsaai van nuusbulletins, amateur radio gesprekke en uitsaai van velerlei gebeurtenisse vanuit ander dele van die land asook wereldwyd. 

Nou ja ons ken Rulhof as 'n jong man met dryfkrag en het hy besluit om 'n Mobiele AllStar Node te bou en die besluit en ander prestasies sou weereens lei tot 'n besonderse toekenning vanaf die Suid Afrikaanse Radio Liga.  Besonderhede oor die projek is beskikbaar in die bostaande skakels onder (5) Rulhof ZS4RM - Allstar Portable / Mobile Node Project.

Klik op foto om te vergroot

Rulhof ZS4RM is tydens die afgelope konvensie vereer met die "SARL Young Amateur Excellence Award".  Die toekenning is vir sy aktiewe bevordering van die stokperdjie, hetsy by die skool, tydens vakansies, by die Voortrekkers en die opstel van 'n AllStar Draagbare / Mobiele Node met Echolink in Bloemfontein.

Die neergelegde vereistes vir die toekenning is soos volg:

SARL Jong Amateur Uitnemendheids Toekenning

Hierdie toekenning sal fokus op die erkenning van jeug prestasies in amateur radio. Tans is daar geen toekenning vir die jeug nie en hierdie toekenning sal die behoefte aanspreek om die prestasies van ons jonger geslag te erken.

Daar is drie kategorieë vir die erkenning van prestasies soos volg:

• Genomineerdes moet aktiewe deelname en toewyding binne 'n klub, groep of erkende organisasie getoon het in die ontwikkeling en groei van die amateur radio diens ter ondersteuning van hul mede-amateurs,
• Hul toewyding aan amateur radio gedemonstreer het deur persoonlike prestasies en bedryfsprestasies,
• Die ontwikkeling van 'n beduidende projek (hardeware of sagteware) vir gebruik in amateurradio.

Genomineerdes moet gelisensieerde radio amateurs wees en jonger as 25 jaar oud wees.

Vorige Ontvangers van die SARL Jong Amateur Uitnemendheidstoekenning:

2019 Glen Bailey ZR6G
Alastair Skudder ZS6RAS
Cameron Eales ZS6CYE
2020 Joshua Stone ZS1BOI
2021 nie toegeken nie
2022 Bryce McLean ZS1BWM
Kiara McLean ZS1ISS
2023 nie toegeken nie
2024 Rulhof van der Merwe ZS4RM
2025 Elri du Rand ZU6EDR

Die toekenning is Saterdag tydens die 2026 SARL (Suid-Afrikaanse Radio Liga) Nasionale Konvensie en Jaarlikse Algemene Vergadering oorhandig aan Rulhof ZS4RM deur Nico van Rensburg ZS6QL  President - Suid Afrikaanse Radio Liga.

Baie geluk aan Rulhof van der Merwe ZS1RM met die besonderse prestasie!

Oor die SARL:

Die Suid Afrikaanse Radio Liga (SARL), voorheen bekend as die South African Radio Relay Liga (SARRL), is 'n nie-winsgewende organisasie wat die belange van amateur radio-entoesiaste in Suid-Afrika verteenwoordig. Die SARL verteenwoordig sy lede en alle gelisensieerde amateur radio operateurs in Suid-Afrika en is die nasionale verteenwoordiger van amateur radio wat by tye skakel met die Suid-Afrikaanse Regering.

Dit sluit die bevordering van deregulering en vereenvoudiging van die amateur radio diens, en uitbreiding van die aantal amateurradio operateurs in Suider-Afrika in. Die SARL propageer en bevorder die rol van amateur radio in die samelewing, en bevorder die gebruik van amateur radio in skole as 'n toegangspunt tot die velde van wetenskap en tegnologie. Die SARL is die nasionale lid vereniging wat Suid-Afrika in die Internasionale Amateur Radio-Unie verteenwoordig en is 'n wereld lid van die IARU-Streek 1.

Die doel van die SARL is om alle aktiwiteite wat verband hou met amateur radio, draadlose kommunikasie, rekenaar wetenskap en radio wetenskap in die algemeen aan te moedig, te ontwikkel en te bevorder. Die rol van die SARL is om amateur radio frekwensie toekennings te beskerm, om internasionale welwillendheid en begrip te bevorder. Die SARL bevorder ook erkenning vir amateur radio in alle sfere van die samelewing in Suid-Afrika.

Die Suid Afrikaanse Radio Liga het sy 100 ste bestaansjaar in 2025 gevier.

Webtuiste van die SARL:  https://mysarl.org.za/

 

Amateur Radio - Jou toegangspoort tot 'n loopbaan in ingenieurswese en wetenskap!  

Fotos van die 2026 SARL (Suid-Afrikaanse Radioliga) Nasionale Konvensie en Jaarlikse Algemene Vergadering wat plaasgevind het by The Willows Holiday Resort & Conference Centre in Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha).  Klik op die fotos om te vergroot.

 

Videos van die Byeenkoms:

MMDVM / DMR Repeater No TX or RX and how to fix this setup error.

DMR Repeater does not except any "calls" from my trusted TYT MD380 and Hytera MD785G radios.

Background:  The repeater and the two radios worked flawlessly until one morning when I started / rebooted all three items.  Please note all three items was shut down properly the night before.  Never ever hot-plug any cables to any of the above radios, hotspot or raspberry pi!!  Well I did not.   I hear some of you say but it must be a problem with the DMR Repeater.  I also thought so and worked  through all the settings of the repeater firmware, calibration and hardware setup.  This took at least two days, working on and off as I find the time.  No luck at all.  It seems if all three radios just decided to be like a stubborn donkey.  Well the next possible fix was to replace the WSPD firmware which I used at the time with Pi-Star firmware.  It might have been a firmware "glitch" as my grandson named software issues.  I took out the WSPD card and re-write a new SD card with the Pi-Star firmware and slotted it into the Raspberry Pi.  No change so I made the assumption that there was nothing wrong with both firmware's.  Just as I side-note using DroidStar was working fine on the DMR Repeater, DMR Bridge and ZS Link Hub.  I looked at Brandmeister under My Devices and every device in used reflected that it was active and working.  ID's matched the devices and Static Talk Groups were set.  All that was left was to go through the CPS files of the 2 RF Radios.  I thoroughly scrutinized the CPS files but could not find any issues.  I started running out of options but somewhere there is a problem and that needs to be fixed.

The error / errors:  If I could get one radio to work the other one would be fixed instantly.   I needed to look deeply into the error issue.  I used the TYT MD380  Radio to label the error.  Error = The radio would TX for a short period and then a error beep would sound.  The LED on the radio goes red when TX'ing but then alternate between red and green.  The DMR Repeater screen stays in the default display while the RX and TX radio LED's will light up as it should.  Nothing else happens and this indicate that the MD380 radio does not open the repeater.  I hear you shout Talk Group, Color Code, Time Slot, Calibration, TX and RX Frequency, RX Group List and Zone.  Well checked all of that with no joy!

How I solved the issue:  The solution to the problem was quite easy and was mainly two settings that I  overlooked.  Once those settings were adjusted I am now able to use both DMR Radios to talk to the repeater without any hassles in Pi-Star as well as WSPD.  Yes, some of you were correct.  It had to to with "calibrating" the BER of the repeater.  Normally one would calibrate a hotspot using the calibrate function provided in the firmware.  Using my repeater the calibrating function would not work.

(Click on image for larger view.)

The following settings in Admin - Advanced - Full Editors - MMDVMHOST File need to be set to enable radios to talk to the repeater.

RXLevel=70

TXLevel=70

DMRTXLevel=70

 

One need to find the correct setting for your setup. If these settings is not correct radios will not be able to excess the repeater and the dreaded error tone will sound.  The above settings worked for me and solved the issue.