Noele 4Z8NN and Isaac 4X1HJ operating a QRP portable station into a kite-suspended longwire antenna.

Wishes for ‏2004

We extend to all our readers the best wishes for the new year of 2004… let’s see if we can do a lot better in all areas!

2003 Holyland Contest

The results are in. 267 logs were received from abroad and 99 from within Israel.

Top World Single Operator:

1. OM4JD

2. LY3BH

3. IK6XEJ

4. RA9FEL

5. DL5WW

Multi-ops

1. RA3AD

2. VU2UR

3. RZ9AWK

QRP Trophy Winner

R3AR

The new Holyland Contest QRP trophy sponsored by Vadim 4X4FJ

Holyland DX Contest Continental Top Scorers:

Africa: EA8URA (single)

Asia: RA9FEL (single), VU2UR (multi)

Europe: OM4JD “ RA3AD “

N. America: K9ES

S. America: YV1DIG

Oceania: VK8AV

Israel Top Scorers

MIXED: 1: 4X0J, 2: 4X4DZ 3: 4X4YM

SSB: 1. 4X4JU 2. 4Z5FI 3. 4X1HJ

CW: 1. 4Z5KO, 2. 4Z5JU, 3. 4Z5MU

Multi Op: 1. 4X55I ,2. 4X0R, 3. 4Z4YU

Mobile: 1. 4X4FR, 2. 4Z5FL, 3. 4X1GA

Portable: 1. 4X1VF, 2. 4X1FC, 3. 4X6AB

The 2004 Holyland Contest will be on Saturday April 17 from 00.00 through 23.59 UTC

Complete rules are on the IARC web site: www.iarc.org

Yaakov 4Z5AY being presented with the 50 MHz trophy by 4Z4KX for the Independence Day 50Mhz-VHF-UHF contest

4X4SIX

is the 6 metre beacon operating on 50.080 MHz. Yehuda 4X6ON and Yaakov 4Z5AY built and established this 5 watt station which around the clock announces on CW: VVVVVVVV DE 4X4SIX 4X4SIX KM72JB 5W JPOLE <10 second key down carrier> .

They have donated the beacon to the IARC. The Ministry of Ciommunications have authorised the transferring of licensees.

A Repeater for Albania

The IARC has donated a 2 metre repeater to the Albanian amateur radio society. Hopefully, by the time you read this it will be up and running in Tirana, the capital city.

4X/KC8FS in Israel

I just wanted to pass along my thanks to you and all of the kind and wonderful members of IARC who were so helpful to me during my visit to 4X during the end of October. This was truly a magnificent experience, not only to see the Holy Land for the first time but to meet so many friends of amateur radio. Also I was glad to be able to assist at least 7 of the 4X DXers by checking their DXCC cards. I actually checked over 1,900 QSOs for these DXers!

My brief visit at the club station in Tel Aviv as well as my experience operating for one day at the Reut club station have given me memories I will never forget. Everyone was so kind! I hope you will acknowledge the many hams in 4X who were such gracious hosts and who looked out for my well being. I especially want to thank Mark, 4Z4KX; Dov, 4Z4DX and Dimitry, 4Z5GV for their help in Tel Aviv. However, I cannot begin to express my appreciation to Slava, 4Z5MU. Slava took care of me while I operated the CQWW from the club station in Reut and he, his XYL and lovely young daughter Rita took me back to Jerusalem safely on Saturday night so I could get back to my family at the Dan Panorama Hotel. Slava and his wife also made sure I had provisions during my operation of 4X/KC8FS. They are wonderful people and my heart was touched by their kindness.

For your information, from my only 17 hours of operation in the CQWW, I concluded with 1,221 QSOs from 4X and just over 600,000 points. I really enjoyed operating from the club station 4X4REM at Reut. The pileups were great fun! I think the 3- element tri-bander made a big difference there. I made contact with several other 4X station during the contest and also made QSOs with Steve, 4X/AA4V who was also operating the contest from the Dan Panorama Hotel in Tel Aviv. Steve and I hope to meet for an eyeball QSO perhaps at Dayton next year.

Joseph, aside from my radio experience in Israel, this was a journey that is nothing like I have ever experienced. We visited all 4 corners of Israel during our 2-week stay. I am still in awe of the beauty and splendor of your country and can tell you that this trip has changed my life. I continue to pray for Israel and for her people and for all of my friends of amateur radio. Please know that my XYL and I are talking about a return trip next year and I would even look forward to another opportunity to operate from the station in Reut! In fact, I think I have talked one or two more of my stateside friends into possibly going with us next year! I have put together a PowerPoint presentation of my visit and already have used it at a local club meeting to generate interest. So perhaps I will be back next year with more visitors and will also be able to check more DXCC cards for Israeli DXers.

Thanks again for your help and for contacting the 4X hams to accommodate my visit and my experience in CQWW.

Sincerest 73 for the coming Holiday Season and for a healthy and prosperous New Year. G_d Bless you and your family.

Hal Turley, KC8FS, 4X/KC8FS ARRL Section Manager for West Virginia

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4Z5NB, Eli Shahaf, operating his mobile station from rare Negev Holyland squares He drives a Nissan-Terrano '99 automatic 4X4.
Quite a few ham Jeep-enthuiasts, are activating uncommon Holyland squares, and we can expect to see a lot more squares on the air in the upcoming Holyland contest.

QSL Card Deals

Tsachi 4Z4TL has been organising the printing of full-colour QSLs… 200 sheqels for the 1000 copies and another 100 sheqels for the next 1000 copies of the same card. So far, the response has not been massive.

PLC – BPL

The use of the power lines for the transmission of data continues to be a concern . Equipment for the networking of computers over the AC mains is being sold in the country which has reportedly been causing interference to the HF frequencies. The Ministry of Communications has requested an explanation from the distributor of this equipment who in turn replied that they have discontinued the sales of the devices.

News Briefs

The amateur station at the Ben Gurion University in Beer Sheva has closed down and the equipment has been moved to the Eshel HaNassi high school club. This same high school is the home of “Radio Eshel” on 106 MHz FM, one of the few educational network broadcast stations authorised for the training of high-school students in broadcasting. Hopefully, the new radio club and classes, organised by Isaac 4X1HJ will bear fruit in this apparently fertile ground.

The Beer Sheva local repeater on 145.300 will have to relocate as the University was its home. Anyone knowledable of a suitable QTH is requested to contact 4X1HJ.

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Scenes from the IARC council Hannukah meeting – December 2003

“Non-Ionizing Radiation”

A new hassle is raising its head:

proposed legislation on “Non-Ionizing Radiation”. As this is being written, the information has just come out and a lot of head-scratching and deliberation on the subject is underway.

What can this mean for amateur radio… will every ham have to have Ministry of the Environment inspectors OK his/her station? Will this cost a lot? Will stringent restrictions be imposed on our hobby?

Since the use of cell-phones has become widespread in this country, there is much concern about the possible dangers of the radiation of these devices held adjacent to the brain, as well as the proliferation of cellular antenna systems on building-tops. Attention is shifting to other transmitting sites, and ham installations are now in the line of fire.

Quite a few years ago, Shalom 4Z4UT of Beer Sheva was taken to court by his neigbours on the grounds that he was subjecting them to dangerous radiation. With doccumentation provided by the IARC, Shalom won the case.

Now the whole topic has re-surfaced, and in a big way. Stay tuned for our next issue when we may have further developments on this burning topic.

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Thanks to the contributors to www.qrz.co.il and www.iarc.org for some of the material used for this issue.

We can use all the help we can get!

-…-

73 de Ahron 4X1AT and Ron 4X1MK

HAGAL INTERNATIONAL

Winter - January 2004

The 2004 Holyland Contest will be on Saturday April 17 from 00.00 through 23.59 UTC