Yet again another AllStar Node has joined the Southern Cape ZS Link Network. This time it is the node of Zayn ZR3VO from Orania. It is located along the Orange River in the Karoo region of the Northern Cape province. The town is situated on the R369 highway, and is 871 kilometers (541 mi) from Cape Town and approximately 680 kilometers (420 mi) from Pretoria.
Orania offers a variety of hobbies focused on its unique environment and cultural heritage. Popular activities include nature-based hobbies like kayaking, fishing, hiking, and bird watching, taking advantage of the Orange River and the Karoo landscape. Additionally, Orania has a strong focus on its history and culture, with interests in its architecture, the Cultural History Museum, and its irrigation project.
Another unique hobby that has come to the foreground in Orania is amateur radio better known as ham radio. There's no specific information about a large, organized group of radio amateurs residing in Orania. However, amateur radio activity is present in South Africa, and individuals in Orania could potentially participate. One such individual is Zayn ZR3VO.
To practice Amateur Radio means to regularly engage in the activity you enjoy, outside of work or school, for leisure and personal enrichment. It's about developing skills, learning new things, and finding enjoyment in the process. You can practice Amateur Radio by setting aside dedicated time, finding resources or communities related to your chosen activity, and consistently working on improving your skills and knowledge.
This is exactly what Zayn has done. He has setup a DMR Hotspot and is using his DMR Radio to talk all over the world whenever he feels like it. He recently setup an AllStar Network Node at his home in Orania. AllStarLink is a world wide network of Amateur Radio repeaters, remote base stations, and hot spots accessible to each other via the Internet and/or private IP networks. AllStar software runs on a dedicated Linux computer (including the Raspberry Pi) that you host at your home, radio site, clubhouse, school, university, workplace, or computer center. AllStar is based on the open source Asterisk PBX and is released under the GNU GPL and is free for anyone to use. The core of AllStar and AllStarLink is the powerful app_rpt application and associated modules that load into the Asterisk PBX system.
The allstarlink node that Zayn setup links to the Southern Cape ZS Link Network. Any radio amateur can connect from around the world to the Shari Pi AllStar node of Zayn in Orania. The SHARI (SA818 Ham Allstar Radio Interface) is a ham construction project designed by N8AR that implements a Raspberry Pi hosted Allstar node using a NiceRF SA818 embedded UHF (420 – 450 MHz) or VHF (144-148 MHz) radio module. SHARI PiXX is designed as a kit for construction and use in the amateur radio service by licensed amateur radio operators. More info on the SHARI Pi can be found HERE.
Now lets look at the ZR3VO SHARI Pi AllStar Node particulars:
Images: (Click on images for larger view.)
Herewith information and connection details:
