Episode 186 - Bernie van der Walt - ZS4TX
 | Bernie van der Walt, ZS4TX, from Bloemfontein, South Africa is an active ham radio operator. Bernie loves to contest on HF, and operates two remote control EME or Moon bounce stations on two and six meters away from the noise pollution of his residential neighborhood. We discuss these subjects and more on this episode of QSO Today. |
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| South African Radio League Hall of Fame QSL.net Website DXnews Bloemfontein, South Africa. Sporadic E Propagation Backscatter First License: 1984, ZS4TX First Rig: Kenwood TR-9130 Transceiver Current Rigs: Icom IC-7800 12 Meter Tower, Optibeam Antenna Remote stations: ZS4TX/6, EME 6m and 2m etc Icom IC-7800 Icom IC-756PRO3 Icom IC-7100 6M EME, 2M EME Favorite mode: HF CW Started off on 2M with a Kenwood TR9130 and an external 100W amplifier Built 2 x 14 element yagis stacked First HF amateur Rig: Yaesu FT101B – bought the external VFO later – added Heathkit SB220 Amplifier First big antenna: KLM 4 element on 40m Awards: 160m DXCC WAS WAZ 10 band DXCC 9 Band WAS Contests:
Hardware developed for DX and Contesting: Super Combo Keyer - a Dual mode Voice/CW keyer with SO2R switching Biggest challenge to ham radio is
Most excited by: Amateur radio was a gateway to me for my profession and even for someone who has had a licence for 30 years there are still so many new facets to explore. There are new things to learn and explore every day with (mostly) free knowledge available in abundance shortening the learning curve. Advice: Do things yourself otherwise it will not happen. Start small if you have limited resources. Tip: - Having the newest radio is overrated – spend your time and money on amplifiers and antennas J DF3CB Remote Audio Software PST Rotator to track the moon. Education: Technikon, Pretoria, Central University of Technology, Mtech ISM Band Shunting lighting protection Lightning protection: Spark gap arresters CQ Worldwide CW - contest. Begali Paddle HK1 pounding CW key Bencher Paddle DXpedition, Penguin Island, ZS0Z Amateur radio is: Gateway to profession and new facets to explore every day Starting new projects and optimizing new projects Advice to new or returning hams: Pick a band, optimize your antenna, and start doing it. The RSS Feed for all audio content from QSO today is available from here. Please join our QSO Today community by pressing the button below. It is the best way to suggest guests and topics, and provide feedback to Eric, 4Z1UG. |  Kenwood TR-9130 2 Meter All Mode Transceiver  Icom IC-7800 HF Transceiver  Icom IC-756ProIII Transceiver  ZS4TX Remove 2 Meter EME Station |
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