Category Archives: Jonaskop

Jonaskop Site Visit 2025-12-29

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I left my QTH at 08h00 and headed to the Jonaskop high site.

On arrival at the site, the aim was to re-install the East link radio and test communications to Riversdal. Once the radio had been connected and switched on, I called ZS1RB in George, but he could not hear me. I then contacted ZS1AAC in Stilbay and we spoke via the Riversdal repeater with good and clear signals both ways, confirming that the Jonaskop link system was working. The problem now being at Riversdal, Dana Bay or George. On further investigations, it was found that the Dana Bay site was faulty. ZS1RB will be visiting there to sort this issue out.

It was a beautiful day with temperatures predicted at 36  ̊C, a slight breeze made for an awesome site visit. After the test with ZS1AAC, I arrived back home around 14h00.

ZS1MJT

Jonaskop Site Visit 2025-12-16

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ZS1NEV and ZS1MJT left for site at 08h00.

It was a cool day, and wind was blowing with clear skies.

Today’s task was to install the controller and link radios and test accordingly.

We installed the controller and radios and did some testing. SWR was still good 1.2:1.

Link to Hanskop was working 100%, but we hit a snag with the link to Riversdal. Further testing that side meant we had to change settings on that radio. Unfortunately, we could not do this on site and brought that radio back with us for configuration.

The link to Hanskop was left on.

We arrived home about 17h00.

ZS1MJT

Jonaskop Site Visit 2025-11-23

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ZS1NEV and ZS1MJT left for site 08h00.

Today’s aim was to replace connector to the 4-stack and install the controller and 2 link radios.

En-route, we were debating as to go to the top due to cloud cover and we continued, hoping to be above the cloud level.

On arrival at the site, it was cool and a strong breeze was blowing. We were able to install the new connector and test the SWR which showed 1.2:1. Weather turned bad and wind started blowing a lot stronger. Cloud cover was causing us and equipment to get wet. Due to the low temperature and the weather getting worse, we aborted any further work. We turned on the repeater, tested comms to Cape Town and Agulhas and headed back down. We did not install the controller and link radios. Visibility at this stage was about 10m.

A breakfast in Villiersdorp to help thaw us out and we arrived back home at about 16h30.

ZS1MJT

Jonaskop Site Visit 2025-11-18

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ZS1MTF went to site and installed the new 4 stack on the tower. On completion of the installation, SWR was tested at 1.1:1. A problem arose as the connector of the new stack was different to the old one and they did not have such a connector with them.

The repeater was then left ‘off’ and another site visit would be planned ASAP to replace the connector.

Many thanks to Matt and his team for installing the 4-stack.

ZS1MJT

Jonaskop visit 2024-05-31

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The Jonaskop site lost Eskom supply during the heavy storms of September last year. It was running 24/7 on battery and the one solar panel installed on site.

David ZS1DDK and myself left earlier today for Jonaskop (145.675) with 2 spare power supplies, some tools, spare fuses, etc. to see if we can find a fault and repair it.  We have expected either the power supply to have packed up or the earth leakage in our cubicle that has tripped.

The road leading to the site is drivable with a bakke or vehicle that is high off the ground up to the Sentech tower.  The portion form the Sentech tower to the concrete strip leading to the Eskom building is still completely washed away. With the Landrover in 4×4 and diff lock on David took the dongas on. It is huge dongas and washed out gravel! We made it and got to the Eskom site. On inspection we found that the Eskom supply has tripped in the main DB board and not in our cubicle. We opened the DB Board and switched the breaker back on.  Everything came to live and reports form ZS1TR was that he immediately noticed an increase in signal strength. (On battery the repeater switches automatically to lower power).

We also checked the SWR on the repeater antenna and at 145.07 it was close to 1.5:1 and even lower as we went a little bit lower, closer to 145.000.  See photo attached.

We locked up and left the site again. I was home at 15h30 and David at about 16h15.

Jonaskop besoek 2022-12-16

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Rassie ZS1YT en Jan ZS1Z het Vrydag 16 Desember 14h30 op gery na Jonaskop om te gaan ondersoek instel wat die fout met die herhaler is. Na erge verkeer en ‘n baie slegte pad kon ons dit maak tot bo. Die beurtkrag het skade aangerig en gevolglik haak die herhaler vas wanneer die oorskakeling plaasvind tussen die batterye en die kragbron. Die tydelike oplossing was om die herhaler as alleenstaande 2m herhaler te stel en die UHF skakels te verwyder. Dus is die 675 herhaler nou nie gekoppel aan enige ander herhaler nie.
‘n Groter probleem is dat die SWR van die 2m antenna baie hoog is! Dit veroorsaak dat die herhaler terug sny op sy krag. Die 4 stack folded dipole antenna is ook al baie oud en die jare se son en wind en reën het maar sy tol geëis. Die oplossing is ‘n nuwe antenna maar met harnas praat ons van baie geld! Ek sal meer inligting bekom van die koste en dan kan die amateurgemeenskap hopelik bydraes maak.

Die pad is plek plek erg beskadig na die onseisonale reen

Jonaskop 2022-01-08

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Matt ZS1MTF and Paul ZS1V visited the Jonaskop repeater site on Saturday 8 January to attend to a problem with the site telemetry. An RJ45 connector on one of the shielded ethernet cables was faulty and consequently replaced.

Jonaskop Maintenance 2021-12-18

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On Saturday morning Jan ZS1Z and Paul ZS1V went to the Jonaskop 145.675 repeater site. The repeater and link controller had been damaged during a lightning storm during the past winter. The Vertex VXR9000 repeater required some transistor replacements on its IO board and was repaired by the agents.

After the repair of the repeater, Jan spent many hours repairing the link controller and then re-aligning the audio levels between the repeater and the Riversdal and Hanskop link radios.

Repeater, link controller and link radios

The team took the opportunity to also install lightning protection units on the VHF and Hanskop link antennas. These units were donated by Mike ZS1TAF. Lightning protection will be installed on the Riversdal link antenna on a future visit when we have another unit available. The various antenna feedlines were relabelled as the old labels had been removed by the weather.

Jan ZS1Z (left), Paul ZS1V (right)

The team were unable to verify the SWR on the various antennas as the WCRWG SWR meter has developed a fault. The WCRWG will likely have to look at acquiring a more robust unit suitable for field work. Donations of a Bird with the appropriate slugs would be highly appreciated and well used.

Jonaskop Solar Installation

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Early on Saturday morning, 13 November, Sybrand ZS1SJ and Paul ZS1V, headed to Jonaskop. The 145.675 Villiersdorp repeater is housed at the site and has been the victim, not only of the recent rounds of scheduled power outages, but also frequently of more extended power failures sometimes lasting a week or more.

The damaged, but still functional 220V mains feeder to the site

Thanks to the donations of kind amateurs, clubs and Hamnet in the Western Cape, the WCRWG was able to acquire the necessary solar module and MPPT controller to charge the backup batteries, and Saturday morning provided the ideal combination of weather and installer availability to get the installation done.

The 335W PV panel installed

The PV panel was installed at an angle of 40 degrees, that hopefully balances winter time generation and shedding of snow. The repeater enclosure is conveniently situated on the North side of the building, allowing an approximately 5 degree azimuth.

Paul and Sybrand completed the installation just before noon. Site telemetry has since confirmed the daily charge cycle of the backup batteries.

Jonaskop Maintenance 2021-08-15

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On Sunday morning, Jan ZS1Z and Paul ZS1V set out to recommission the links to Riversdale and Hanskop at Jonaskop. It was an uncharacteristically perfect weather day at the top of the mountain, with some small pockets of ice from the recent Cape winter weather still in the shady areas and slowly leeching off the towers.

Tower with ice collected below

The repeater, links and controller were reinstalled in the equipment housing. The battery and PSU voltage sensors, and the interior and exterior temperature sensors were recalibrated. The tower guys were inspected to see how they stood up to the recent storms after their pre-winter maintenance, and were found in good order. The SWR on all the antennas was tested, and these too were found to be good.

As the team was about to leave the site, testing by Trevor ZS1TR via the Jonaskop repeater and Sybrand ZS1SJ via the Hanskop repeater, revealed an issue with noise being intermittently inserted into the audio.

Jan spent a further hour or two fault-finding, eventually tracing the problem to a setting on the link controller. This setting was corrected but a short while later the problem recurred and it was found that the controller was spuriously flipping configuration bits. Several attempts were made to get the configuration corrected but every time the configuration became corrupted again.

The team was left with no choice but to remove the faulty controller and link radios. The repeater was left operational in a standalone state.