THE FIRST SESSION OF THE NEWLY ELECTED COUNCIL OF IARC

The first meeting of the new elected council of IARC took place on Tuesday the 14^th of April at the offices of the society in Tel-Aviv.

4X4KK Micky Minzari as outgoing chairman of the watchdog committee, after a lengthy discussion about who should become the new chairman, invited 4X6KJ Joseph Obstfeld, to take the position. Joe promised to do the job again, (he filled the position for many years before 4Z5IS became IARC chairman) for a one year period only, in which he will try to train 4X1YM, Dan Roth, to perform the duties of chairman.

In a short address the outgoing chairman (president), Eli Stern 4Z5IS , after expressing his hope that the new council will be successful, promised to help wherever he will be able to do so. Eli Stern, a lawyer by profession, will stay on as legal adviser to the IARC.

The list of officers is as follows:

Chairman - Joseph Obstfeld 4X6KJ

First Deputy Chairman - Yaacov Sela 4X6WP

Second Deputy Chairman - Dan Roth 4X1YM

Secretary - Oded Kishoni 4Z7FCC

Treasurer - Paul Gross 4X6UU with his deputy Haim 4X6ZI.

Taking care of the various clubs and their educational programmes - Meir Cohen 4Z7ZA.

It was decided that each and every regular council meeting will take place every second Monday in the month. So the first operative council meeting will be on April 10, 2000. In our next issue we will bring the names and callsigns of the other council members and their respective offices as well as the group of helpers to the council.
 
 

MORSE SPEED LIMIT? A CLARIFICATION….

The item in our last issue caused quite a stir. After reporting what we had heard and noted at the membership assembly, we received this clarification from 4X6KJ, IARC president and liason officer to the Ministry of Communications:

Here is a small letter to straighten out the mishap in the March issue, concerning the "FORBIDDEN" CW speed of more than 25 wpm. I checked with the Migdal Shalom (the head offices of the Ministry of Communications), there is no such thing as a speed limit on Morse. The suggestion was, for identification purposes, to lower the speed to a maximal 25wpm. to give others a chance to copy, at least a call sign.

It came across to those attending the annual general meeting as something strange, it was enthusiastically picked up by the newsletter, and promptly reported. The mistake that was made, in the speech as well as in the report, according to the new Israeli licensing conditions, which are yet to be issued, which each and everyone will have in the back of his/her license is the following:

"A station shall not transmit in the Morse code faster than 25 wpm for identification purposes" It was the intent, in this context of the new Class D+ license, which has a Morse code requirement of  5 wpm.  To ascertain an oppportunity for those less competent in the CW field, to at least give a chance to the identification of stations which are experienced in fast CW transmissions. (de 4X6KJ)

Editor's note:  The item that we published last month, and have since deleted so as to cause no more embarrassment, as an afterthought should really have been printed this month.  We would be hard-strapped to come up with something better than a speed-limit for Morse transmission as an April-Fools' gag. 
 
 

SOME AFTERTHOUGHTS

If last month I expressed my pessimistic feeling about the new leadership of the club, I must say now, after seeing the proceedings of that meeting, that there is remaining work from the previous council left behind.. Some of the members who left their posts attened the proceedings. They promised that they will, if asked, lend a helping hand. Eli Stern 4Z5IS, the outgoing chairman (president), and his than deputy Michael Ben-Tovim 4X6PZ will be going to Friedrichshafen in Germany, for the Ham-Radio 2000 (Europe’s answer to the Dayton USA hamfest), and lead the delegation manning the Israeli booth. Here it must be pointed out again, that all those going to the fair representing Israel, as was in the past, and should be in the future, are doing it at their own expense. Please bear in mind that this is has been the case for the last 17 years! Never ever did the IARC pay, even a single sheqel, to aid financaly those who volunteered to do the job for our club. They have to stay, as our representatives, in the official hotel, which is not a cheap affair. But when I said last month, in the Hagal International, that I had the feeling that all the outgoing officers of council dropped their offices like a hot potato, I was proven absolutely wrong! So the outlook is not so bleak anymore. (de 4X1AT)
 
 

The 2000 Holyland DX Contest will be held from 1800 UTC on April 15th through 1800 UTC April 16th. The bands: 1.8, 3.5, 7, 14, 21 and 28 MHz on the frequencies recommended by IARU region I for contest operation. Stations outside of Israel work Israeli stations only. Modes permitted are CW and SSB. Categories of operation are Single Operator SSB only, CW only, or mixed, and Multi-operator station single transmitter. Israeli stations give RS (T) plus Holyland Square and overseas stations RS (T) and QSO serial number (001, etc.). Each station can contact another station TWICE on each band- once on SSB and once on CW, such that a maximum of 12 contacts may be had between the same two stations if they work each other on both modes on all six bands. Two points are scored for each contact on 1.8, 3.5 and 7 MHz, and one point for each contact on 14, 21 and 28 Mhz. Overseas stations get a multiplier for each Holyland Square worked and Israeli stations get a multiplier for each DXCC country. The final score is the sum of all contact points multiplied by the total of multipliers earned. Logs should be divided into separate pages for each band, include time, callsign, RST sent and received and the serial number or Holyland Square received. A summation page should give the number of multipliers and the number of contacts per each band. There must be a declaration of having operated in accordance to the local licence regulations and the contest rules. Logs must be sent (postmarked) not later than May 31 2000 to: 4Z4KX Contest Manager, P.O.B. 17600, Tel-Aviv 61176, Israel. Of course all contacts are good for the Holyland Award as well as for the Israel 50th Anniversary Award.
 

4Z4SZ – TEN YEARS

Over the last ten years the Radio Club of Upper Nazareth, 4Z4SZ boasts a high degree of activity. This  is due to the arrival of a new immigrant from Russia – Michail  Komissarchik, ex UC2RD, ex U1CD and now, finally 4X4CD.  Michail, who is now 74 years ‘young’, was a well known Russian radio amateur and Ham radio instructor, and since his arrival in Israel he is the driving force at the club station 4Z4SZ, which is located at the Community Center of Upper Nazareth .To his aid came the town council, a resident ham, Uri Malchi 4Z4RJ, and of course 4Z4KX Mark Stern (who co-ordinates the aid to all the new arrivals from Russia and associated countries, by helping those hams, collecting for them donated equipment, thus getting them on the air in Israel.  But there were also many others who helped Michail to get this club to what it is now.  But, there is no argument, without Michail there would be no 4Z4SZ!
   It might well be that you have never heard anything about this Radio Club, but not only in the Russian-speaking community this club means a lot. Michail, as a senior citizen, with a lot of energy,  holds his Ham Radio classes for the benefit of the youngsters of Upper Nazareth to get them interested in our hobby. This club is the most active club station on the air in Israel. Under the guidance of Michail, members of the club participate in most of the contests in any operating mode, in CW as well as in SSB. They can boast a lot of excellent results in both categories.
To add to the popularity of the club he was the innovator of the ‘Shalom Award’. Michail has given this award such an immense popularity, that up to now he issued over 1000 certificates. Now, after ten years,  his award has run out, but a new one is already offered: the ‘Shalom 2000 Award’, the rules to work it appearing below.
   Michail has managed to gather around himself a group of the radio amateurs, mostly ‘newcomers’ to Israel from the former Soviet Union.  This group is meeting at more or less regular intervals for social events, not only in Upper Nazareth but also in many places around Israel. It is always a happy affair.  They sing and dance together, with Michail is playing his accordion. The Tenth Anniversary festivities will be at is home town on the April 29, 2000. It will be quite  an affair, with a meal at the local restaurant, and an excursion around the city of Nazareth and Upper Nazareth.
   Many a time, Michail has been decorated by the IARC for his continuous effort at 4Z4SZ.
The club station started with a SB100 and a simple dipole antenna, It got more modern with a TS140S and a Element Tribander Yagi Antenna.  Just  recently the club received a donation, a TS440S,  from the family of late 4X4LO Avner Barzelai.
   We, all the hams in Israel, would like to extend our best wishes to Michail and thank him for ten years of excellent activity, from 1990 into the new Millenium. We hope that Michail will continue his blessed activity for many years to come..                                                (4X1AT)
 
 

THE SHALOM 2000 AWARD

The award can be worked by licensed radio amateurs and SWLs.
You have to work 2000 points with these conditions:
All QSOs made after April 1, 1999.
You may work any Israel station only once.
There is no limitation regarding bands or modes.
Scoring:     300 points - 4Z4SZ
                   150 points – 4X4CD  4X4KX  4X6DK  4X1IM  4X1UK
                                        4Z5FW  4Z5AF  4Z5JM  4Z4RJ  4X1AT.
                    100 points for contacts with  Jerusalem,  Nazareth , Tiberias,  Haifa  and  Lod.
50 points for any other Israeli station.
Applications should be a log extract.
Logs should be sent, together with 7 IRCs  or $7.00 to:
4X4CD, P.O.Box 13092, IL-17000 Nazareth Illit, ISRAEL
 

The Pirates’ Den

Once again we present you with tasty tid-bits of the goings-on between 88 to 108 MHz here in the wild middle-east, which make the “slims” and bootleggers on our own ham bands pale by comparison. While at work, I heard on our FM radio a distorted signal spread all over the upper 8 MHz of the band. Curious, I carefully tuned around until finding a frequency where the modulation of this remarkable piece of “spread-spectrum” became legible. The station identified as “Kol Ha’Emet” (the voice of truth), broadcasting a phone-in programme of questions to a clergyman on religious matters.

The quality of this signal was totally amazing! If, 90 kilopmetres away from its purported Jerusalem transmitter, I was picking this up on a table radio, I wonder if this splatter was also appearing on the nearby aeronautical frequencies. Since the references in its transmission hinted to it being allied to a certain political party in the coalition, it may be assumed that this “pirate” is safe from prosecution. (de 4X1MK)