YOTA 2018  NEEDS SPONSORS FOR DONGLE CONNECTION CABLES -   The Amateur Radio Development Trust will be sponsoring VHF/UHF dongles for the 80 young people taking part in YOTA 2018 to be hosted in South Africa  from 8 - 15 August 2018.
Funding is however required for the connecting cable between the dongle  and antenna. The cost for 80 cables  is approxtimate R9000.  The dongle will be used to introduce the young people into the world of Software Defined Radio and be part of their near-space BACAR experience.  If you or your company  can assist,  make a contribution. Your help will contribute to making YOTA 2018 a success and the best ever.

Funds for  5 Cables have thus far been donated. AMSAT SA will handle the fundtaising for  the cables. Bank details  ABSA 40 8982 6281 Branch code 632 005. A list of donors will be published on www.amsatsa.org.za

AMSAT SA Space Symposium papers - A number of papers are now availble for download. View here 

ITU officially confirms: Z6 prefix is illegal

In a repost by YT9TP (Serbia) it would appear that the International Telecommunication Union has officially confirmed use of the Z6 prefix is illegal. This from ITU Operational Bulletin No. 1149 dated 1 June 2018.

“Call sign series can be allocated only to the administrations of the ITU Member States by world radio communication conferences or, between radio communication conferences, by the ITU Secretary-General. In this respect, the attention of the ITU administrations is drawn to the fact that ITU has not allocated call sign series Z6 to any of its Member States. Consequently, the utilization of call signs series Z6 by any entity without a formal allocation and consent of the ITU represents an unauthorized and illegal usage of this international numbering resource.”e R1080

RSGB YOTA TEAM HANDS OVER FLAG TO SA - The official handover from the RSGB YOTA Team to the SARL YOTA Team took place on Friday afternoon, 1 June 2018, in Friedrichshafen. The SARL Team received the YOTA flag as well as the symbolic Begali YOTA morse key. The SARL Team showed a video as background and introduction to the YOTA 2018 event in August in South Africa. Two months to go! 

L-R Nico van Rensburg ZS6QL, Florian OE3FTA, Mike 2E0MLJ, Koos ZR6KF and Lisa PA2LS.

Current Regulations remain in force- The publication of the National Radio Frequency band plan has created some confusion and a lot of speculation. Here are the facts:

The current regulations remain in force. The frequencies and conditions as published in Annexure I of the 2015 Radio Frequency Spectrum Regulations remain in force.  View  list of amateur radio frequencies here.

ICASA has started a process to amend the regulations and bring them in line with the National Frequency Band Plan. A draft will be published in the Government Gazette in due course for comment. Although ICASA Councillor, Peter Zimri, told the SARL that ICASA is fast tracking the new regulations, it will likely be some months before the draft is gazetted for comment. The SARL will monitor the situation.

As far as the 5 MHz is concerned, the allocation is not in the current addendum I. However ICASA agreed that all radio licensed amateurs ZR, ZS and ZU may use the frequencies provided they operate with the maximum power of 15 watts eirp. The SARL has made representation to ICASA to consider a limit of 20 dBW, or 100 watts. This process will mostly likely only be considered after the draft regulations are published for comment.  There is currently no band plan. Before a band plan for South Africa is considered research should be undertaken what other countries that have 100 kHz of the 5MHz have agreed on.  In some countries additional spot frequencies outside the WRC allocation have been allocated to the amateur service. These should also be considered as they could present some DX opportunities 

If you have views on a band plan please send them to secretary@sarl.org.za so that an informed recommendation can be made to Council and ultimately  voted on electronically. 60 Metre Allocations World-wide

Radio ZS June 2018 - The June 2018 issue of Radio ZS is available for download - all 52 pages! Only 597 copies of the May 2018 Radio ZS were downloaded.

SOUTH AFRICA GETS 100 KHZ ON 60 METRES - On Friday 25 May, ICASA published the National Radio Frequency Plan 2018 in which amateur radio was allocated 100 kHz on a shared basis in the 60-metre band as well as channel 5 290 kHz for the 5 MHz propagation research project. The National Radio Frequency Plan 2018 is a nearly 300-page document which covers the entire radio frequency spectrum.  

UPDATE YOUR AMATEUR LIBRARY -  For the next two weeks the SAARDT Online Bookshop offers an additional 10% discount on ARRL Books. The SA Amateur Radio Development Trust is supporting YOTA 2018 and will use funds from book sales to sponsor SDR dongles for participants.  There is still one 2018 ARRL Hanbook in stock. Two 2017  ARRL Handbooks are available at only R600. Other books of interest are Satellite Handbook, ARRLAntenna Handbook (23rd ed), Basic  Antennas, Simple and Fun Antennas and Radio Science for the Amateur. Visit www.amateurradio.org.za for the complete list and orderform or clickhere

The latest VHF, UHF and Microwave Record Table is available from the VHF SA Record page. Click here to get a copy. 

Compiled by Mike Bosch, ZS2FM (SK) and updated by Paul, ZS6NK 25 May 2018. Updates to zssixnk@gmail.com  

Football World Cup Radio Marathon. A large number of special call signs from countries participating in the Football World Cup tournament, as well as from other FIFA member countries that did not qualify for the finals, will be active between 1 June and 15 July. Participating stations are expected from Algeria (7X2FIFA), Antigua & Barbuda (V218FIFA), Argentina (AY0FWC), Austria (OE18FIFA), Bahrain (A91FWC), Bermuda (VP9FIFA), Bosnia & Herzegovina (E70FIFA), Brazil (ZZ18FWC), Canada (VB18FIFA), Croatia (9A18FIFA), Denmark (OU18FWC), Ecuador (HD18FIFA), Egypt (SU18FWC), England (GB18FWC), France (TM18FWC), Germany (DJ18FWC and DK18FWC), Greece (SX18FIFA), Haiti (HH18FIFA), Hong Kong (VR2FIFA), Hungary (HG18FIFA), Indonesia (YB18FIFA), Iraq (YI0FIFA), Italy (II9FIFA), Kazakhstan (UP18FIFA), Korea (DT18FIFA and DT18FWC), Luxembourg (LX18FIFA), Moldova (ER18FIFA), Netherlands (PA18FIFA), New Zealand (ZL18FIFA), Northern Ireland (GB18FIFA), Panama (HP18FWC), Peru (OC18FWC), Philippines (DX18FIFA), Poland (3Z18FWC), Portugal/Azores (CR2018FWC), Qatar (A71FIFA), Saudi Arabia (HZ18FIFA and HZ18FWC), Scotland (MB18FIFA: 10, 13, 14 July), Serbia (YU18FWC), Slovakia (OM18FIFA and OM2018FIFA), Spain (AO18FWC), Suriname (PZ18FIFA), Sweden (7S18FWC, 8S18FWC, SB18FWC, SC18FWC, SD18FWC, SE18FWC, SF18FWC, SH18FWC and SI18FWC), United Arab Emirates (A60FIFA), Uruguay (CW18FWC), Venezuela (YW18FIFA), Wales (MB18FIFA: 12 June and 12 July). Complete information will be published on http://fwc18.hamlogs.net/.

BAD OPERATING PRACTICES ON HF - Following a recent communicated trend of on air abuse including misconduct on 20 m, the Namibian Amateur Radio League (NARL) President Werner, V51JP and the SARL President Nico, ZS6QL engaged with the respective individuals and were able to resolve the matter. Unfortunately, this did not end there, we are currently facing a situation where South African radio amateurs are now themselves guilty of misconduct on the air.

Amateur radio is a self-governing service and we as respected amateurs operate in accordance with a code of conduct which stand for cooperation, assistance, loyalty, good-will, patience, consideration and friendship when operating on the air.

The SARL Council would like to appeal to South African amateurs to refrain from bad behaviour and poor operating practices. Please promote fair play and adhere to the amateur code of conduct on the air in the spirit of amateur radio.

Young South African Radio Amateurs invited to apply for YOTA 2018 - South Africa will host 80 young Radio Amateurs from 34 countries in Europe, Africa and parts of the Middle East, for a week-long international event from 8 – 15 August 2018. This is the first time that YOTA (Youngsters–on–the–Air Summer Event) is presented in South Africa and hosted by the South African Radio League (SARL).  

Applications are now invited for the South African Team and anyone aged between 16 and 25 is invited to apply for selection as a team member and participate in this amazing amateur radio event.

“This annual event creates, in addition to amateur radio, the opportunity to learn about different nationalities and cultures, foster international friendships and goodwill as well as learning new radio communication and technical skills”, says SARL president, Nico van Rensburg. YOTA brings together young radio amateurs under the age of 26 who have a passion for amateur radio and technology to learn new skills, discuss and share ideas about amateur radio and its future. This year’s camp will not just focus on teaching individual skills but look at empowering the group to become mentors and transfer the skills they have learned. 

The week long programme includes building a radio transceiver kit, becoming involved in launching and tracking of a high altitude balloon with various radio equipment on-board, hone their communication skills using multi frequency amateur radio stations and other technology and communications based activities. 

To be considered for selection in the South African team visit  www.zs9yota.co.za,   complete the online application in full and submit before 30 May 2018. The SARL YOTA Team Selection Committee will notify successful applicants by 17 June 2018. Full details about the 2018 event can be found on www.zs9yota.co.za. For additional information contact the team at info@zs9yota.co.za. 

Radio Amateurs and companies can become involved in YOTA 2018 by financially contributing. For banking and PayPal details visit www.zs9yota.co.za. Support the future of amateur radio.

Get radio active in a different way - The SARL will soon be featuring a 3 minute slot on LM Radio. It will be broadcast mid-morning on a Saturday on 702 kHz AM from Johannesburg.   The SARL invites all young radio amateurs to send us a WhatsApp voice note. Record why you think amateur radio is cool or “Amateur radio is cool because it gets into new technologies …” Use your own words.  Start your voice note with I am, your name and callsign. The voice note must not be longer than 1 minute. Send your voice note to 076 402 1464.  You may just be the next radio star. Send as many as you like. We will select the best!

ARRL HANDBOOK -   only 2 copies of the 2017 edition are available. The 2018 is no longer available. For details visit www.amateurradio.org.za

Get your weekly copy of HF Happenings at www.sarl.org.za/hf_happenings.asp 

DXpedition Team Sets Sail for Baker Island. The KH1/KH7Z Baker Island DXpedition team is on its way to Baker Island. The DXpedition commemorates the 81^st anniversary of aviator Amelia Earhart's disappearance on 2 July 1937, near Baker and Howland islands, as well as "the commitment and sacrifices" of the Hui PanalÄ'au (loosely translates to "society of colonists"), young high school graduates from Hawaii who were sent to colonize Baker, Howland and Jarvis islands from 1935 until 1942 and who began construction of a runway for Earhart to land in 1937. The islands were bombed the day after Pearl Harbour, killing two and the colonists were removed by the US Coast Guard in 1942.

The enthusiasm level was high, as the KH1/KH7Z team departed Pago Pago, American Samoa, on June 20 aboard the Nai'a, en route to Baker Island. The DXpedition is scheduled to fire up around 00:00 UTC on 28 June with eight operating positions active on all open bands. The team will be on the air around the clock for the following 10 days. The KH1/KH7Z team consists of 14 operators. The KH1/KH7Z DXpedition has pledged to adjust to the propagation at hand. Baker Island is the fifth Most-Wanted DXCC entity, according to Club Log.

As reported, KH1/KH7X will employ FT8 digital mode to find openings that might not be obvious and to serve as a beacon. "When we find an opening, we will put as many radios/modes/ops on as we can," the team said. The KH1/KH7X group helped to develop the WSJT-X software version that incorporates an FT8 "DXpedition Mode" (version 1.9.0). The DXpedition said using FT8 DXpedition mode may allow the operators to "expand" the bands they are able to use at this point in the solar cycle. The DXpedition's band plan page includes a guide to using FT8 DXpedition Mode.

The Dateline DX Association (DDXA) is sponsoring the DXpedition to Baker Island. The Pacific Islands Refuges and Monuments Office of the US Fish and Wildlife Service granted the DDXA permission to land and operate on the uninhabited island.

Montenegro, 4O. Bill, ON5JE reports he will be active as 4O/ON5JE from Montenegro from 25 June to 17 July. He will operate SSB on 40 and 20 metres, and "will activate also some 4OFF areas". QSL via home call, direct or bureau.

France, F. TM95KOB is the special callsign for the Radio-Club de l'Aube (F5KOB) to celebrate its 95^th anniversary. The first activity will be from 29 June to 1 July, followed by other four sessions (20 - 22 July, 14 - 16 September, 5 - 7 October and 16 - 18 November). QSL via the bureau to F5KOB.

Solomon Islands, H4. Bernhard, DL2GAC will be active again as H44MS from the Solomon Islands from 22 June to 12 July. QSL via home call, direct or bureau.

Papua New Guinea, P2. Roly, ZL1BQD will be active again as P29RR from Wewak, Papua New Guinea (OC-034) between 1 and 26 July. In his spare time, he will operate mainly FT8, with a focus on 160 and 80 metres. QSL via LoTW, eQSL or direct to home call.

Russia, UA9. R25RRA is a special callsign celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Russian Robinson Club (http://robinsons.ru/). It will be used from various islands qualifying for the Russian Robinson Award (RRA) Programme, starting on 26 to 30 June from Punuyamsalya Island (not IOTA, RR-06-75). QSL via RZ3EC.

IOTA Tour. Gabriele, IK3GES will be touring Northern Europe between 25 June and 3 August and will be active from several island groups in Germany (EU-057 and EU-128), Denmark (EU-029), Sweden (EU-037, EU-043, EU-084, EU-087 and EU-139), Norway (EU-033 and EU-076), Finland (EU-097, EU-101, EU-140 and EU-173) and Poland (EU-129 and EU-132). QSL via IK3GES, direct or bureau (OQRS on Club Log will be available when he returns home).

VOACAP Online Hf Predictions. The VOACAP Online HF Predictions service (www.voacap.com/hf/) is a replacement for and a consolidation of the previous VOACAP Online P2P (point-to-point) service and VOACAP Online Coverage Maps. These two previous services will be closed down by mid-July. The User Manual (17 June 2018) can be found on https://voacap.blogspot.com/. The new service uses VOACAP (Voice of America Coverage Analysis Program) as its calculation engine, requiring the use of a reasonably new web browser. For example, the latest versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome are known to work. The earlier versions may not be supported. If you encounter problems with the service, please try first to upgrade your browser to the latest version available.

# Link to SARL VHF, UHF & MICROWAVES DX TABLE Click here 

Please send your news snippets and information about activities on VHF and Above to vhfnews@sarl.org.za. 

Focus on VHF 17 June 2018

For a audio version click here  

Dates and time: The contest will be held on the first full weekend of May 5-6 starting at 12.00pm Saturday and ending at 1159Z Sunday. Bands: Bands from 10m through 80m, except WARC bands. Exchange: Italian stations will send RST and two letters to identify their province. Other stations will send RST and a serial number from 001.  See http://www.ari.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5167%3Aari-international-dx-contest-2018&catid=250%3Aari-international&Itemid=270&lang=it 

VOLTA RTTY DX CONTEST: TEST PERIOD: 12:00 GMT Saturday May 12, 2018 until 12:00 GMT Sunday May 13. BANDS: 3,5 - 7 - 14 -21 - 28 MHz Amateur bands. MESSAGE: Must consist of: RST - QSO progressive number starting from 001 - Your CQ Zone number. (es.: 599-001-15). See http://www.contestvolta.com/rules.pdf 

UN DX CONTEST:  Aim: UN DX CONTEST is organized and held by the national amateur radio society The Kazakhstan Federation of Radiosport and Radioamateur (KFRR). Contest period: 06.00 UTC 19 May 2018 – 21.00 UTC 19 May 2018. Bands: 80m, 40m, 20m, 15m, 10m (according to the IARU band plan for HF contests). Modes: CW and SSB. Exchange: Kazakhstan stations send RS(T) report plus KDA award district code. Non-Kazakhstan stations should send RS(T) report plus progressive serial number, starting with 001 for the first contact. See http://undxc.kz/bez-rubriki/2015-2/

AEGEAN RTTY CONTEST: Date: 3rd full weekend of May, from 12:00 UTC Saturday till 12:00 UTC Sunday  19 and 20 May. Mode: RTTY BAUDOT. Bands: 10, 15, 20, 40 and 80 meters, according to the IARU Region 1 band plan. Exchange: RST + QSO number starting with 001. See http://www.aegeandxgroup.gr/dx-pdf/AEGEAN%20RTTY%20CONTEST%20RULES.pdf 

European PSK DX Contest: Date and Time: 12:00 UTC 19.05.2018 - 12:00 UTC 20.05.2018. Bands: 80 meters (3.580 – 3.590 MHz), 40 meters (7.040 – 7.050 MHz), 20 meters (14.070 –14.080 MHz), 15 meters (21.070 – 21.080 MHz), and 10 meters (28.070 – 28.080 MHz). Exchange: All EU stations should send signal report plus EU Area Code.  DX stations should send signal report plus QSO number, starting 001. See http://www.eupsk.com/eupskdx/eupskdxrules.pdf 

His Majesty The King of Spain CW Contest: Dates: 1200 UTC Saturday till 1159 UTC Sunday (May 19-20, 2018). Bands: 10, 15, 20, 40, 80 and 160 meters, in the segments recommended by the IARU for this mode. Exchange: Spanish stations send RST and the Province abbreviation and Special station His Majesty The King of Spain (EA0) will pass the abbreviation (SMR). DX stations send RST and serial number starting with 001. See https://concursos.ure.es/en/s-m-el-rey-de-espana-cw/bases/

CQ World-Wide WPX Contest: Starts: 0000 UTC Saturday Ends: 2359 UTC Sunday May 26-27. Objective: For amateurs world wide to contact as many amateurs and prefixes as possible during the contest period. Period of Operation: 48 hours. Single Operator stations may operate 36 of the 48 hours – off times must be a minimum of 60 minutes during which no QSO is logged. Multi-operator stations may operate the full 48 hours. Bands: 1.8, 3.5, 7, 14, 21, and 28 MHz bands may be used. Observance of established band plans is strongly encouraged. EXCHANGE: RS(T) report plus a progressive contact serial number starting with 001 for the first contact. Note: Multi-Two and Multi-Unlimited entrants use separate serial number sequences on each band. See http://www.cqwpx.com/rules.htm 

Hammies Sprint: Aim: This is a fun activity to promote contacts between Hammies and radio amateurs in Southern African countries with an emphasis on ZU stations. Date and Time: 14:00 to 15:00 UTC 10 June 2018. Exchange: RS and provincial abbreviation, DX for all stations outside South Africa. Frequency and mode: A phone contest on the 40-metre band, 7 063 to 7 100 and 7 130 to 7 200 kHz. See Blue Book for more details 

South African Radio League Top Band QSO Party: Aim: This is a fun activity to promote contacts on 160 metres between radio amateurs in Southern African countries and to encourage radio amateurs to apply for the South African Radio League Top Band Award. Date and Time: 00:00 UTC on Thursday 21 June 2018 to 00:00 UTC on Monday 25 June 2018. Frequency: CW: 1 810 – 1 838 kHz, Phone: 1 840 – 2 000 kHz. Exchange: The exchange is a RS(T) report and provincial or country abbreviation. See Blue Book more details 

His Majesty The King of Spain SSB Contest: Dates: 1200 UTC Saturday till 1159 UTC Sunday (June 23-24, 2018). Bands: 10, 15, 20, 40, 80 and 160 meters, in the segments recommended by the IARU for this mode. Exchange: Spanish stations send RST and the Province abbreviation and Special station His Majesty The King of Spain (EA0) will pass the abbreviation (SMR). DX stations send RST and serial number starting with 001. See https://concursos.ure.es/en/s-m-el-rey-de-espana-ssb/bases/ 

UKRAINIAN DX DIGI CONTEST: 12.00 UTC Saturday , through 12.00 UTC Sunday 23-24 June.  MODE:  RTTY 75bd and PSK63 only. BANDS:  3,5 – 7 – 14 - 21 - 28 MHz without WARC bands. Exchange:  Non-Ukrainian stations transmits RST & QSO number beginning from 001. Ukrainian stations transmits RST & two letters denoting the province(oblast). http://www.izmail-dx.com/

Direct importer of a wide selection of SWR meters, H.F., V.H.F. and U.H.F. base and mobile antennas. Amateur radio transceivers, antenna analyzers, etc. Affordable shipping costs for out of town customers and subsidized shipping to SARL members. Check out all my amateur radio goodies here. 0720268909.

Light Engineering Works

General engineering, part remanufacturing  turning, milling, drilling.Specialised welding of steel, stainless steel, aluminium and cast iron.Gear repair and remanufacturing.Prototype industrial and automotive  parts and brackets made to specification,  Heavy duty antenna support and Mobile brackets including standoff brackets and antenna parts manufactured.Tower and tower part repairs also undertaken. Contact Willie Wright ZS6WC.0823351356. zs6wc@vodamail.co.za

Tell me more  about Amateur Radio

Radio Amateurs, or "Hams" use two-way radio communication to make contact with other radio amateurs all over the world. They are even able to use satellites and on occasion speak with astronauts. Radio Hams can do this from home or while mobile in cars, boats or on foot.

Radio Hams have a full range or communication modes at their disposal. These include plain voice, Morse code, numerous digital computer modes and even graphical modes like television. As a licensed amateur radio operator you will be able to join in experiments using all these modes.

Amateur radio can be enjoyed by young and old, male and female, even the most severely disabled can make friends around the world from their own home. This hobby knows no boundaries.

 Click here to go to the Kevtronics web 

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