SARL Field Day - 6-7 September 2025
I was at the West Rand Amateur Radio flea market when I bumped into Pierre, ZS6PJH. We chatted for a bit, and he told me about the plans for the upcoming SARL National Field Day competition, which was scheduled for the 6th and 7th of September. The team was preparing to set up a field station, and without hesitation, I expressed my interest in joining them. Pierre told me they’d be heading out to the Brits Flying Club to set up some HF stations for the weekend.
The team was made up of:
Jaco (ZR6JCL) Pierre (ZS6PJH) Pierre (ZS6PS) Gabriel (ZS6GJM)
It was quickly decided that I’d be manning the 40m band station, especially since the only antenna I had at the time was a 40m inverted-V. I immediately started planning, packing, and double-checking my gear for the trip. By Friday evening, I had everything ready: radios, backup generators, fuel, antennas, masts—you name it. I packed up the car and trailer, ensuring I was all set for an early start on Saturday.
We agreed to use simplex frequency 145.500 for communication between our mobiles and handheld radios. As I drove out, I called Pierre on the simplex, and we arranged to meet at the Engen garage on the N4. After that, we continued on our way to Brits Flying Club, arriving right on schedule just after 07:00.
The first task was to get the 40m station set up as quickly as possible to begin making contacts. By 08:00, we had everything up and running. While I started making my first contacts, I couldn’t help but watch the airplanes taking off and landing nearby—it was a nice touch to the experience.
In addition to the 40m station, we had two other stations covering the 15, 20, and 80m bands. The guys worked quickly to set up their multi-band antennas, and before long, they were up and making contacts too.
Around 16:00, we gathered around a fire and cooked an early dinner. This gave us a chance to recharge and prepare for the 80 and 20m bands later in the evening. We wrapped things up around 20:00 and made sure to get a good night’s rest, knowing we needed to rise early on Sunday.
By 05:00 the next morning, we were up and ready to go. I started making contacts on the 40m band around 06:00, but we paused between 08:00 and 09:00 for the SARL news bulletin, which was broadcast on 40m. After that, we continued our efforts until 12:00 when the competition officially ended.
Packing up is never the most enjoyable part of the weekend, but we managed to get everything sorted and on the road by 14:00. All in all, we made a total of 56 contacts over the weekend, and Pierre—true to his word—submitted our log sheets on time. It was a rewarding, memorable experience that brought the team together and gave us all a chance to share our passion for radio in a great setting.