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SARL Today HF Update with ZS4BS Focus on VHF/UHF/Microwave The ZS CW Group SARL Forum current topics Commercial Hamads

SARL TODAY! 

Breaking

SARL Diary of events - The Draft 2025 SARL Diary of Events can be downloaded from the SARL Diary of Events page on the yellow menu.

Documents for the 2025 SARL National Convention are available rom the Member's Only section under AGM Documents


The November 2024 Radio ZS and the Radio ZS Index are available for download. Click on Publications in the lefthand menu and select Radio ZS download.


The SARL VHF UHF and Microwaves DX Table dated 6 August 2024 has been uploaded. Get your copy here
 
The IARU Monitoring System Region 1 Newsletters are available at https://www.iaru-r1.org/spectrum/monitoring-system/

Beacon update.  

Become part of the Next Generation Science Beacon Project by making a contribution to the beacon fund. The fund is administered by AMSATSA as their contribution. Click Here  to go to the easy credit card facility. It is handled  by payfast, a secure paymentplatform. You contribution will be acknowledged.(pic SARL Karoo beacon site)

 


SARL ON-THE-AIR BULLETINS AND AMATEUR RADIO TODAY PROGRAMME  27 October 2024 

SARLNEWS Dennis Green ZS4BS Listen or download here

SARLNUUS  met  Kevern Burger ZR2BK laai af/luister

Amateur Radio Today - Programme about Amateur Radio and technology hosted by  Hans van de Groenendaal, ZS6AKV . The programme features news about amateur radio, reports on Hamnet, VHF and UHF, Satellites and HF plus technical features. One hour of Amateur Radio bliss. Listen/download here .  

Transmissions: Sundays at 08:00 UTC on repeaters around South Africa including 145,750  and 145,725 MHZ in Pretoria. On HF 7 115 kHz by Louis, ZR4DJLAmateur Radio Today on 80 metres on Mondays - On Mondays Amateur RadioToday is transmitted at 19:30 local time on 3 620 kHz by Andy, ZS6ADY.

Note when SARL website is not available programmes will be posted on www.amateurradio.org.za. Reception reports are invited. Please send your report to artoday@sarl.org.za. Please give details of the signal strength antenna and location. 

Text bulletins from 1 March 2020 to today can be found at https://sarlnewsbulletin.wordpress.com


SARL sets up a Spectrum and Technology Workgroup  -With the publication of various Spectrum Policies and the imminent publication by ICASA of the equipment type approval policy, the Council of the SARL has decided to establish a Spectrum and Technology Workgroup which will be known by the acronym SARL STW.

The STW will coordinate the various previous initiatives such as the Technology Workgroup. The first tasks of the STW will be to develop a document to highlight opportunities for Amateur Radio in the recent gazetted Spectrum Policy for Economic Development. The STW will also coordinate the SARL’s participation in the SABS TC3 and TC74 EMC and Telecommunications technical committees, the WRC27 National Preparatory Workgroup (NPWG) and the IARU Region 1 EMC and Noise Monitoring (NMC) committees.  Another task of the Spectrum and Technology Workgroup will be to set up technology webinars.

The STW is inviting interested SARL and AMSAT SA members with an interest in the technology issues confronting amateur radio to join the STW.

Here is a real opportunity for the younger generation to contribute to Amateur Radio’s future and to gain valuable personal experience. Send an email with your contact details and your area of interest to sarlstw@amateurradio.org.za


Pay your SARL Membership fees online using PayFast. Go to https://mysarl.org.za/shop/ and select your membership category.


ICASA LICENCE FEES

PLEASE take note that it is YOUR responsibility to pay your license fee directly to ICASA.

The new fee structure is: 1 Year - R188,00; 2 Years - R359,00; 3 Years - R515,00; 4 Years - R656,00 and 5 Years - R784,00. The SARL highly recommends that you pay for a five-year license. This ensures you have a valid license for the next five years.

Payment must be made via EFT directly to ICASA using the following account: ICASA, Nedbank Corporate Client services; Account no: 14 62 00 29 27; Branch: 146245. Use your ICASA license number No “******-******” as the payment reference. Do not pay the ICASA fees to the South African Radio League.

If your licence is managed by the SARL, please follow the instructions as e-mailed to you by Noel, ZR6DX, the RAE Manager.

All other license holders must log into their account on the ICASA Customer Portal https://online.icasa.org.za/, click on the “Manage” button and then the “Renew” button; and select the number of years for the license period you want to pay for. The ICASA system will then send you an invoice, or you can click on “Invoice” and the invoice can be downloaded. You can then click on the “Pay” button and pay via you credit card, or you can do an EFT. Note, if via EFT then you must click on the “Upload Payment” button and upload the proof of payment. If the POP is not uploaded, then ICASA will not issue the new license.

The SARL cannot help you if the ICASA Customer Portal is slow or not responding. The SARL has got nothing to do with the ICASA system, which is a government system of the State Information Technology Agency. Be patient and try in the evenings or early mornings.


SARL/AMSAT SA display receives award at Science Forum South Africa 

 

WATCH THE VIDEO OF THE AWARD PRESENTATION HERE 

The SARL– AMSAT SA display at the Science Forum South Africa 2023 was awarded a special mention award for the best display and audience interaction. The award was presented at the closing ceremony of the forum on Friday afternoon. Hans van de Groenendaal ZS6AKV and Brian Jacobs ZS6YZ, who were responsible for developing and executing the display, received the framed certificate from the Dr Phil Mjwara, Director-General of the department of Science and Technology and Innovation. The forum at the CSIR convention centre was attended by over 4000 delegates.

The joint display, with the theme Science in Amateur Rado, featured the AMSAT SA dual band yagi antenna, a proto type of the AfriCUBE satellite, the SARL RF Noise monitoring system and the SARL two metre Karoo beacon project.

The RF noise monitoring system output was displayed on a large screen showing in real time the RF noise level at the convention centre.  It was significate to see the drop in the RF noise level at night when all the LED lighting and computers were switched off.

Brian Jacobs manned the stand full time assisted at various times by Hans van de Groenendaal, Cameron Eales , Koos Fick and Ruben Jansen van Rensburg.

The event was a worthwhile experience and a great opportunity to show that Amateur Radio is just not another hobby but a true technology pastime.


The 2024 SARL Diary of Events is available - click on the link in the yellow block on the left.


HOW TO CONQUER THE SARL HF CONTESTS - the presentaton by Chris Burger ZS6EZ is now available on YouTube.Watch it here

Video of contesting with ZS6EZ now on YouTube. A recording of the SARL Contesting with ZS6EZ is now available on YouTube. Click here 


Interference from solar installations- As the South African public are realising that they are on their own and facing the many challenges of loads heading, self-generating electricity by households and businesses have become the norm. 

Generally, Radio Amateurs should not experience interference on HF or VHF from properly installed solar power installations but unfortunately it does occur when unqualified people do not install the system properly and use poor quality inverters and solar maximisers.

Often fitting ferrite beads and basic filters will solve the inference problem.

By design solar installations are not expected to radiate radio frequencies (RF) and cause interference as the necessary circuits suppress any RF radiation should be included in the design. There however are suppliers that will install equipment of inferior quality.  Solar installers are expected to issue COC’s, certificate of compliance, but these certificates generally only cover the electrical installation.

If a neighbour installs a solar system and it kills HF, there are two approaches. Point out to him or her that the installation is causing radio interference and that he should insist that his installer sorts out the problem. If that fails it is necessary  to send a written complaint with details of the interference to the manager of the local ICASA office. ICASA is fully quipped to do the necessary test and advise the owner of the installation to have the problem seen to or switch off his system.

The addresses of the local ICASA managers can be found on http://www.sarl.org.za/public/licences/licences.asp. Please your copy your letter to the SARL at secretary@sarl.org.za and Chris, ZS6GM at chris@crturner.net and keep the SARL informed of progress of the complaint.


A Template - Constitution and Rules for an Amateur Radio Club - get a copy here


Ethics and Operating Procedure for the Radio Amateur EN IARU ed3 2 Jan 2009 - download your copy here. Ongelukkig is dit nog nie na Afrikaans vertaal nie.


South African VHF, UHF and Microwave Record Table. The latest table of records is available from the VHF SA Record page. Compiled and updated by Paul, ZS6NK - send your record claim to zssixnk@gmail.com  


SARL Next Generation Beacon fund stands at R30 150 - The crowd funding initiative to collect funds for the SARL next generation beacon programme was initiated by AMSAT SA.  During the past week R2000 was received from two donors. The fund moved f past the half way mark which is still far short of the R60 000 target required to finance a beacon in the Karoo and the Western Cape.  

 

AMSAT SA and the SARL thank all who have thus far contributed. Help us make it happen by making your donation to the fund. Visit  www.amsatsa.org.za and make your contribution by clicking on one of the payment buttons for a R50, R250 or R1000 donation.  The button will take you to the Payfast website where you need to enter your credit card details. Please also add your callsign after your surname. 

Visit the  Next Generation Beacon web page for article, videos, updates. and a list of donors Click her

The SARL  Noise Floor Project - The presentation by Hans, ZS6AKV during the C7 - EMC meeting atthe Region 1 Virtual General Conference, can be seen here.


New Satellite Book now available - The new ARRL Amateur radio satellites for beginners is now available in South Africa. With the opening of e-commerce, Postnet is operating again and books can be sent to your nearest Postnet. You can make contacts through amateur radio satellites, and even with the International Space Station, using equipment you probably own right now! All it takes is the right information, which you will find in Amateur Radio Satellites for Beginners by Steve Ford

There are dozens of spacecraft in orbit just waiting for your signals, and more are being launched every year. This book is your guide to a whole new world of operating enjoyment.

Amateur Radio Satellites for Beginners will introduce you to new experiences that you may have thought were out of your reach. Start reading and discover how easy it can be! To order the book visit www.amateurradio.org.za. 115 pages plus index.


Guidelines for a non SARL member to use the SA-QSL system- Phone Kelley at NARC (011 675 2393) and check that your correct information is on the database – license number and e-mail address are important.

Click on SA-QSL system link (on the left-hand side of the web page) and then click on “Need to Register”. Follow the instructions on the screen. Your username and password will be e-mailed to you which you can use to logon in future.

SARL and not yet SARL Members are requested to check their Electronic QSLs on a regular basis.


2024 Advertising in Radio ZS and the SARL Web site

Radio ZS and the SARL web welcomes advertising, it is a source of information for readers. Send your advertisement to Dennis, ZS4BS at radiozs@sarl.org.za

Advertising Rates (effective 1 January 2024) 

Display (cameo) on home page and Radio ZS: R300 pm; R1 700 for 6 months; R3 000 per annum

Commercial Hamad on home page - R100 pm – R300 for 6 months – R700 per annum

Terms and conditions

All contract advertisements content may be changed monthly on 5 working day notice.

The rates are based on the complete supply of material in Jpeg unless otherwise negotiated. For artwork additional charges may apply as agreed. A design service is available at R400 per advertisement.

The content of the advertisements must comply with regulations and norms acceptable in South Africa

All advertisements are playable in advance by EFT to SA Radio League, ABSA, account no 4071 588 849 branch code 632 005.

All correspondence and material must be sent to radiozs@sarl.org.za


HF Update with Dennis, ZS4BS - 25 October 2024 

Rodrigues Island, 3B9. Kazu, M0CFW is active as 3B9/M0CFW until 27 November with activity on the HF bands. He is active as 3B9KW for the CQ World Wide DX SSB contest and in the upcoming CQ World Wide DX CW contests. QSL via LoTW.

Malawi, 7Q. A group of operators are active as 7Q1 from Lilongwe until 2 November. This includes being an entry in the CQ World Wide DX SSB contest. QSL via EA7FTR.

Eswatini, 3DA. A group of operators are active as 3DA0DL until 9 November 9. Activity is on 160 to 10 metres using CW, SSB and various digital modes. QSL via DL7UFR.

Madagascar, 5R. Janusz, SP9FIH and Leszek, SP6CIK are active as 5R8WE and 5R8CI, respectively, from Nosy Be Island, IOTA AF-057, until 6 November with activity on 40 to 10 metres using CW, SSB and digital modes. Plans are to emphasize activity on 10 and 12 metres. QSL via Club Log.

Morocco, CN. Members of the Association Royale des Radio Amateurs du Maroc will be active on various bands and modes as CN49MS from Laayoune between 1 and 15 November. QSL via operator's instructions. The special call sign commemorates the 49th anniversary of the so-called Marche Verte (Green March), a mass demonstration in support of the restoration of the Moroccan Sahara and the conclusion of Spanish colonial rule.

Sao Tome, S9. Team S9Z now includes 16 operators (5B4AQN, AI8RD/HI8R, CT1BOL, CT1DSV, CT1EEB, CT1END, K0IR, K3VN, KH7U, KJ7KOJ, N2WB, N4XP, N5NHJ/I8NHJ, N6MZ, W7YED and WB4JTT). They will be active from Sao Tome (AF-023) between 11 and 20 November with six stations - four for general operations (CW, SSB and digital), one for 6 metres and RTTY and one for EME; a position for QO-100 Satellite will also be made available. Plans are for S9Z to operate CW, SSB and digital modes on 160 to 6 metres and to use Club Log's Livestream. QSL via Club Log's OQRS (direct and bureau), or direct to N4NHW; full upload to LoTW within six months after the end of the DXpedition. See https://s9z.org/ for more information and updates.

Italy, I. 4U30B is the special call sign issued to the 4U1GSC Amateur Radio Club to mark the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Global Service Centre in Brindisi, Italy. Look for activity between 15 November and 31 December. QSL via 9A2AA.

Germany, DL. DF20DCL is the special call sign for DARC Team SES to mark the 20th anniversary of the DARC Community Logbook between 18 October and 29 November. All QSOs will be confirmed automatically via the bureau; direct cards via DL2VFR. The DCL is a web-based application system for a wide range of DARC awards: https://dcl.darc.de/public/.

France, F. The Radio Club Vendeen (F6KUF) will be active as TM10VG between 3 and 17 November to celebrate the tenth edition of the Vendee Globe, which will set sail from Les Sables d'Olonne on 10 November. QSL via F6KUF (bureau), F5OEV (direct), eQSL (for QSOs on digital modes). The Vendee Globe is the only round-the-world single-handed yacht race that is sailed non-stop and without assistance.

Belgium, ON. The ONZ Oostkust Radioclub (ON6HC) will be active on all bands and modes as OT80CLM between 1 and 11 November. The special call sign's suffix stands for Canadian Liberation March, the annual event that celebrates the liberation of the town of Knokke on 1 November 1944. QSL via eQSL. See https://www.onz.be/ot80clm-award-request/ for the
 certificate.

The Netherlands, PA. Members of Radio Club Limburg will be active as PF16F between 1 and 30 November (https://rclb.nl/pf16f). This special event is intended to be a "Farewell to the Fighting Falcon", as the Royal Netherlands Air Force has officially retired its F-16 jets after 45 years of service. All QSOs will be confirmed automatically via the bureau, direct cards should be sent to PD8RW.

Sweden, SM. In November members of Radio Club SK1BL on Gotland Island (EU-020) will be active as SE80TG to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the "Hansa" tragedy. QSL via the bureau. The "Hansa" was a Swedish passenger ship, in use on the route between the mainland and Visby. She was torpedoed and sunk by a Soviet submarine during World War II (24 November 1944); 84 people died and only two survived.

Galapagos Islands, HC8. K2IN (HC5CW) and HC2AP will be active as HD8CW from San Cristobal, Galapagos Islands (SA-004) between 19 and 28 November. They will operate CW, SSB and digital modes with two stations, and will participate in the CQ WW DX CW Contest as HC5CW/8. QSLs via M0OXO.

Brazil, PY. Special station PR5LM will be active on various bands and modes and on QO-100, throughout the month of November in honour of the memory of Father Roberto Landell de Moura (1861 - 1928), a pioneer of wireless audio transmission. QSL via SP7CVW and LoTW.


CW News and Contesting 

The COOL

http://www.sarl.org.za/SAQSL/Default.asp

http://www.sarl.org.za/members/interest/interest.asp#Software

SARL Forum Active Topics
ICOM 706 requires repair  31/10/2024  17:23:06
by: ZS1PHD
The "COOL" club 
 1  2
31/10/2024  12:07:29
by: ZS6BNE
Balloons Carrying Amateur Radio - BACAR-12 @ 07h00  31/10/2024  10:03:53
by: ZS6HI
Did you fail the Radio Amateur Examination (RAE)?  30/10/2024  19:21:11
by: ZS6MUE
SM Power supply  27/10/2024  22:20:38
by: ZS1SSM
FT240-52 Toroids sought  27/10/2024  10:44:02
by: ZS5J
ARRL processing DXCC awards  26/10/2024  21:01:15
by: ZS6BK
AWA/SAIEE Open Day  24/10/2024  12:57:22
by: ZS6ADY
The RaDAR Rally 2nd November 2024  23/10/2024  12:43:38
by: ZS6BNE
SILENT KEY: ZS1AN Andre Shaw  23/10/2024  07:52:42
by: ZS1YT


Commercial Hamads 

ZS2BL's S.A. HAMSHACK

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. 


Place your commercial hamads on the home page.  Book a six months space for R300 or 12 months at R500 prepaid with order   The advertisements will be  text only up to 60 words including address, telephone number and click through URL to advertisers' website and email address. Adverisement can be changed  Send your contact details to admin@sarl.org.za and we will contact you or call the NARC at 011 675 2393


What is Amateur Radio ? 

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.

A
mateur 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.


Random Photo from the Call book.


 Marius Preston, ZS4MP


     

BACAR Flies Again 

 BACAR

On the morning of Saturday 16 November 2024, a Balloon Carrying Amateur Radio (BACAR) is scheduled to launch from the Trichardt Model Air strip near Secunda. The event co-ordinated through the Secunda Radio Club, ZS6SRC will be the twelfth flight and is named BACAR-12.

The idea is to construct a series of 1U cube satellites (10 x 10 x 10 cm) weighing not more than 500 g and string them together on the end of a hydrogen filled weather balloon and then ‘fly’ the payloads and see how the equipment works in a near space environment. While people are preparing their CubeSats, the chase team prepare and deploy to hopefully retrieve the string of CubeSats that parachutes to the ground after the ballon bursts. Some of the payloads include crossband repeaters, parrot repeaters, LORA trackers, WSPR beacons, SSTV payloads and APRS trackers.

If traveling to Secunda for the 5 AM meet on the Saturday is a bit much, there are camping facilities available at a very reasonable price through ZS6SRC.

Participation in the event is not limited to those with a payload, all are welcome to come join in and experience the fun but pack some snacks and a flask of tea or coffee as there are no facilities at the launch site, although town is just down the road, you do not want to miss out on anything.

As with most radio activities you also do not have to be at the point of transmission. People can also follow, track and try use the repeaters in the payloads from as far away as possible. A payload description and frequencies will be published in the next Radio ZS.

For more information or to participate contact Christo Kriek, ZR6LJK at christo.kriek@sasol.com or after hours on 082 907 9685.



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Radio ZS 

On the lefthand menu, click on Publications and then on Radio ZS Download.

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Frequency Fanatics 

 


Worked All ZS award
An interesting operating goal

The entry level for the WAZS award is 100 different call signs. The programme has recently been expanded to include higher level endorsements, such as WAZS-200, WAZS-300, etc. Endorsements may also be obtained for specific modes, eg: CW, SSB, etc.
Click here for more information...
 


lboat034a.gif (1979 bytes)SA Maritime Net

The South African Maritime Mobile Net provides weather reports and maintains contact with sailing vessels from around the coast and high seas.
The net operates 7 days a week.

There are two regular schedule times as follows:

  • 06:30 UTC and 11:30 UTC on 14 316 kHz – high seas net.
  • 06:35 UTC and 11:35 UTC on 7 120 kHz – coastal net - the net lasts approximately 30 minutes .
Visit the official SAMMNet Website or their facebook page for more information.
 
   

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This page last modified: 22/9/2024