SARL NEWS SUNDAY 31 MAY 2009
You are listening to ZS6SRL, the official radio station of the South African Radio League, the national body for amateur radio in South Africa, with a news bulletin every Sunday at 08:15 CAT in Afrikaans and at 08:30 CAT in English. To listen to a webstream, visit www.sarl.org.za, click on ARMI and follow the links for details. PLEASE NOTE: for audio via Echolink, connect to ZS0JPL-R.
You can download this bulletin and previous ones from www.sarl.org.za and subscribe to receive future bulletins by e-mail.
Your news reader this morning is (name), (call sign), on 145,725 and 7,066 MHz from Pretoria, with relays on 28,325, 14,235, 10,130, 7,066 and 3,695 MHz SSB, as well as 52,750, 438,825 and 1 296 MHz FM in the Pretoria area. (Other newsreaders please change to suit).
SILENT KEYS
It is with deep regret that the passing of two radio amateurs must be announced this week. They are:
Frederick Strutt, ZS2JS of Jeffreys Bay on Monday 18 May 2009.
Barbara Buchan, ZS5TZ, of Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg, on Tuesday 26 May 2009.
We extend our sincere condolences to the families and friends of the deceased.
(PAUSE)
In the news today
RADIO AMATEUR EXAMINATION RESULTS SOON
EXPANSION OF 40 METRE BAND ANOTHER STEP CLOSER
FIRST 4 METRE ANALOGUE METEOR SCATTER RECORD IN RSA
MORE CYCLE 24 PREDICTIONS
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more detail on these and other important and interesting news items.
RADIO AMATEUR EXAMINATION RESULTS SOON
People can do the impossible but miracles take a little longer. Candidates who wrote the May Radio Amateur Examination have to wait a little longer for the results. The examiner and moderators can only release the results once all the examination papers have been received from around the country, marked and moderated. The SARL endeavours to release the results 23 weeks after the examination, but sometimes unexpected delays occur when examination papers from remote areas are delayed in arriving.
Please do not call the office, the examiner or council members for results. It will not speed up the process. Once all formalities have been completed, the results will be available on www.sarl.org.za and be mailed to each candidate.
EXPANSION OF 40 METRE BAND ANOTHER STEP CLOSER.
The Board of ICASA this week approved the revised radio regulations for publication in the Government Gazette. The next hurdle is the actual publication. An ICASA spokesperson said that he expects that the revised regulations will be published next Friday.
Get your antennas ready to celebrate the event by participating in the special Boland Amateur Radio Club contest which will be held on the first Sunday after the new regulations have been published. Keep an eye on www.sarl.org.za for breaking news.
FIRST 4 METRE ANALOGUE METEOR SCATTER RECORD IN RSA
Congratulations to Andre, ZS2ACP, of Port Elizabeth and Paul, ZS6NK, in Polokwane on establishing the first-ever analogue meteor scatter record on 70,200 MHz SSB in South Africa.
Paul says, "After many months trying, Andre and I eventually made it on 4 m MS on phone on 6 May 2009 around 06:00 CAT. It took about 25 minutes to complete with 5/5 both ways. There were some massive bursts on FSK441 (up to 8 seconds) and this prompted us to go phone".
The radio peak of the Eta-Aquarids meteor shower occurred in the daylight that morning between 08:00 and 11:00 CAT. There were many long and strong bursts recorded on 50 MHz and 70 MHz; a few lasted up to a minute or longer and QSOs on FM would have been a cinch.
The next few days could still provide some interesting contacts on MS.
DETAILS OF ZS10WRC TO BE ANNOUNCED NEXT WEEK
The SARL Council will meet this week and will finalise the arrangement for the Wold Cup Soccer special event station ZS10WCS. Details will be shared with affiliated clubs next week on the web and in the SARL e-mail letter. Stay tuned to www.sarl.org.za.
MORE CYCLE 24 PREDICTIONS
An international panel of experts led by NOAA, and sponsored by NASA, has released a new prediction for the next solar cycle. Solar Cycle 24 will peak, they say, in May 2013 with a below-average number of sunspots.
"If our prediction is correct, Solar Cycle 24 will have a peak sunspot number of 90, the lowest of any cycle since 1928 when Solar Cycle 16 peaked at 78," says panel chairman Doug Biesecker of the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Centre. It is tempting to describe such a cycle as "weak" or "mild," but that could give the wrong impression.
"Even a below-average cycle is capable of producing severe space weather," Biesecker points out. "The great geomagnetic storm of 1859, for instance, occurred during a solar cycle of about the same size we're predicting for 2013".
The 1859 storm known as the "Carrington Event" after astronomer Richard Carrington who witnessed the instigating solar flare electrified transmission cables, set fires in telegraph offices, and produced Northern Lights so bright that people could read newspapers by their red and green glow. A recent report by the National Academy of Sciences found that if a similar storm occurred today, it could cause one to two trillion dollars damage to society's high-tech infrastructure and will require four to ten years for complete recovery. In comparison, Hurricane Katrina caused damage of "only" $80 to $125 billion.
COMMUNICATION WITH THE YOUTH
During the week an information e-mail was sent to those under the age of 26 who have an e-mail registered on the SARL Call Book. The e-mail contains information about youth matters and information about the SARL. If you are under 26 and do not have an e-mail address registered on the Call Book, please update your information as there will be regular emails on youth matters. In the coming week letters will be mailed to youth members.
CONTEST NEWS
The Youth Sprint will take place on 16 June 2009 from 10:00 to 12:00 CAT with lots of prizes and lucky draws for the youth and the amateurs hosting the youth. There are ARRL Handbooks, SARL membership and kits to build for prizes. More detail on www.sarl.org.za.
SARL 80 metre QSO Party. The contest committee received 14 log submissions made up of 13 contest logs and a check log. The committee did experience some problems with logs submitted without summary sheets or in an unreadable format. The full results are available in HF Happenings 355, which can be downloaded from the HF Happenings page on www.sarl.org.za. The winners are:
1st Jan Botha, ZS4JAN, 860 points;
2nd Bloemfontein Defence ARC, ZS9X, 785 points (operated by Christo, ZS4O);
3rd Pierre van Deventer, ZS6BB, 575 points;
4th Adventure Radio Club, ZS1ARC, and Marius Preston, ZS4MP, with 565 points.
The ZS3 Sprint. The contest committee received 11 logs and 2 check logs. The first three places will receive certificates and the rest will receive certificates of participation. The winners are:
1st Jan, Botha, ZS4JAN, 90 points;
2nd Marius Preston, ZS4MP, 53 points;
3rd Pieter Jacobs, ZS6XT, 51 points.
CLUB NEWS
At the AGM of the Centurion Radio Amateur Club held on 16 May, the following committee members were elected:
Chair Pam Momberg, ZS6APT;
Vice-chair Ben Booysen, ZS6BTB;
Secretary Billy Strumpfer, ZS6WPS;
Treasurer Pam Momberg, ZS6APT;
Technical Johan Keulder, ZS6CAQ.
Honorary life membership was awarded to Gert Viljoen, ZR6BV, for his rebroadcasting of the Sunday night bulletins and to Pam Momberg, ZS6APT, for her dedication to the club and amateur radio.
The Magalies Radio Amateur Club will hold a flea market on 27 June 2009 at their clubhouse at the corner of Breyer and Mill streets, Waverley, Pretoria. (See http://www.zs6mrk.org/Klubhuis.htm for directions).
Time: 08:00 to 11:00;
Cost: R20 per table or stall;
Contact: Nico (ZS6OI) 082 772 2556.
PROPAGATION REPORT
Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the expected solar activity will be very low. The geomagnetic field is expected to be mostly at quiet levels. The expected effective sun spot number for the coming week will be less than 5. There are currently no sun spots and it is expected to continue this way for some time. Solar cycle 24 is expected to peak during May 2013. Start planning those 10 and 6 m antennas meanwhile!
With the change of season less energy from the sun is reaching the southern ionosphere and it is having an impact on propagation. 15, 17 and 20 m will provide best opportunities for DX. Conditions to the east and the west will be good from the early afternoon onwards. During the late afternoon and early evenings it will be good towards the north. Early in the morning it may be possible to make contacts with Australia and New-Zealand. The north-easterly, north-westerly, south-easterly and south-westerly paths will be challenging. Long path propagation towards the USA is also possible. 10 MHz is looking promising late afternoon and after dark for the CW and digital enthusiasts.
Local conditions are going to be good on 40 m during the daytime. 80 m may perform well during the early mornings and late afternoons over the shorter distances, e.g. between ZS5 and ZS6. 30 m may perform well during the middle of the day between ZS6 and ZS1. 80 m is the frequency of choice in the evenings. Unfortunately the static noise levels are still a bit high making contacts over the longer distances somewhat challenging.
Remember that this is only a prediction and that HF has the capability to pleasantly surprise you, but you will never know unless you switch your rig on, listen and also call CQ.
Please visit www.spaceweather.co.za for further information.
DIARY OF EVENTS
8 June Closing date for the ZS4 Sprint logs;
16 June Youth Sprint;
17 June World QRP Day;
17 to 21 June SARL 160 m QSO Party;
27 June - Magalies Radio Amateur Club flea market;
28 June Digital competition.
SARL News invites clubs and individuals to submit news items of interest to radio amateurs and shortwave listeners. Submit news items, if possible, in both English and Afrikaans to www.sarl.org.za/newsinbox.asp, not later than the Thursday preceding the bulletin date. Please do not send news items to the Office Administrator or one of the bulletin compilers an item sent that way might be missed and not be included in a bulletin.
The SARL also invites you to listen to the Amateur Radio Mirror International programme every Sunday morning at 10:00 CAT on 145,750 MHz in the Pretoria area, with relays on 7 082, 7 205 and 17 570 kHz. There is also a podcast by ZS6RO. For the webstream and Echolink by ZS6FCS, visit www.sarl.org.za, click on 'ARMI' and follow the links. A repeat transmission can be heard Mondays at 21:00 CAT on 3 215 kHz. Sentech sponsors the ARMI transmissions on the non-amateur frequencies.
You have listened to a bulletin of the South African Radio League, compiled by Dennis, ZS4BS, and edited by Hester van der Walt. Thank you for listening, 73.
/EX
