SARL NEWS - SUNDAY 10 JUNE 2012
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 web stream, visit www.sarl.org.za, click on 'Amateur Radio Today' and follow the links for details. For audio via Echolink, connect to ZS0JPL-R.
You can download this bulletin and previous ones from www.sarl.org.za and also subscribe to receive future bulletins by e-mail.
Your newsreader this morning is (name), (call sign), on 145,750 MHz FM from Pretoria (other news readers change to suit) with relays on 7 066 kHz and 3 695 kHz SSB.
SILENT KEY
Eugene "Gene" Marais, ZS6TA, became a silent key on Wednesday 30 May. He was a longstanding member of the SARL and the Highveld Amateur Radio Club. He is survived by a son and two daughters, nephew Chris De Beer, ZS6RI, and grandson, Craig Marais, ZR6CM.
Late news: Ann Hill, widow of Dennis Hill, ZS6AWM, informed us that Dennis passed away on 18 February 2012.
Our sincere condolences to the relatives and friends of the deceased.
(PAUSE)
In the news today:
INTERNATIONAL EME CONFERENCE IN CAMBRIDGE
SKA TO FEATURE IN THE NEXT INTECNET
YOUTH DAY AND NATIONAL AMATEUR RADIO DAY EVENTS
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more details on these and other important and interesting items.
INTERNATIONAL EME CONFERENCE TO BE HELD IN CAMBRIDGE
The 15th International Earth-moon-earth (EME) conference will be held at Churchill College, Cambridge, between 15 and 19 August. It is hosted by the UK Microwave Group.
This is the first time that this conference will be held in the United Kingdom (UK), and it provides an opportunity to learn about this most technically challenging aspect of our great science-based hobby. In addition to EME-specific lectures there will be presentations on radio astronomy and deep space communications, as both these subjects have much in common with EME.
Two Nobel Physics Laureates from the world of radio astronomy will be present at the conference. Joe Taylor, K1JT, is a keen EME enthusiast and will be presenting a paper on MAP65, while fellow-Laureate Professor Antony Hewish FRS is the speaker at the conference gala dinner on Saturday 18th.
With over 150 delegates and 60 partners from 5 continents already registered, this promises to be a great event. All those wishing to attend must preregister for this conference before 1st August. Day passes and a range of accommodation packages from one to four nights are available. See www.eme2012.com for full details.
SKA TO FEATURE IN THE NEXT INTECNET
Prof Justin Jonas of the SKA team will be the guest on the next Interactive Technical Net (INTECNET) on Sunday 17 June 2012 at 19:30. The net will start at 19:30. Prof Jonas will talk about what part of the SKA will come to South Africa and highlight the science that will be done. He will also participate in an interactive session and answer questions from radio amateurs around the country.
Clubs wishing to link their repeater to the Intecnet interactive audio stream, are invited to send details of their landline number to artoday@sarl.org.za by no later than Wednesday.
REPEATER WORK GROUP MEETS ON 23 JUNE
The SARL Repeater manager, Frik Wolff, ZS6FZ, reports that several clubs and repeater groups have responded to an invitation for all division 6 clubs to send their representative to the repeater work group meeting. It will be held at the National Amateur Radio Centre on Saturday 23 June at 09:00.
To assist with catering arrangements, please send details of who will be attending to vubandplanning@sarl.org.za if you have not already done so.
MORE RTA DATE CHANGES
Just to confuse everyone, we had to make more changes to the dates of the SARL Radio Technology in Action symposiums to overcome clashes with other events. The final dates are now as follows: Durban remains on 21 July at the brand new venue on the Howard College Campus of the University of KwaZulu Natal.
Johannesburg has moved to 18 August and Cape Town now moves to 29 September. Port Elizabeth remains on 1 September. Details are also on the SARL web at www.sarl.org.za.
YOUTH DAY AND NATIONAL AMATEUR RADIO DAY EVENTS
Have you organised a National Amateur Radio and Youth Day event? If you are planning an event or activity please send the details to artoday@sarl.org.za today.
The Sasolburg Amateur Radio Club as well as the Boland Amateur Radio Club has arranged various activities. SARL NEWS has not heard from any other Radio clubs.
The programme for Saturday 16 June will be updated and made available on the web on Monday 11 June.
Just in case you missed last Sunday's SARL-news, here is a reminder of the agreement with ICASA that will allow unlicensed persons to operate an amateur radio station under the supervision of a licensed radio amateur without the need to register as an educational station for Saturday 16 June. Here is a further incentive to set up a demonstration station, involve the youth in the youth day sprint and show the man in the street how great amateur radio is.
The SARL has produced a special, eye catching metal pin badge to hand out to young people operating a demonstration station. Have a look at www.sarl.org.za and place the order for your club on Monday. Orders will be shipped on Tuesday by counter to counter parcel mail.
Tracking details for Peter Davis, ZS6IQ, on the Vaal Dam has changed to www.aprs.fi and lookup ZS6IQ-10 (Not -9) The tracker is now operational. Try it out. The boat is currently on land for some TLC. Look up ZS6IQ on qrz.com for info on the day.
PROPAGATION REPORT
Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the Solar activity is at moderate levels. There is a chance for M-class flares from Sunspot 1494.
If you want to do your own frequency predictions, the expected effective sunspot number for the week will be around 86.
All the bands from 20 to 10 m will provide lots of DX fun with 15 m providing the best openings with 20 m not far behind. 10 m openings will be less frequent and mostly on east-west paths. Please visit www.spaceweather.co.za for further information.
DIARY OF EVENTS
16 June – Amateurradio and youth day event.
17 June – Intechnet at 19:30 with Prof Justin Jonas as speaker.
23 June – Repeater group meeting at NARC at 09:00.
SARL News invites clubs and individuals to submit news items of interestto radio amateurs and shortwave listeners. Submit news items - ifpossible - in both English and Afrikaans to www.sarl.org.za/newsinbox.asp, not later than the Thursday preceding the bulletin date.
The SARL also invites you to listen to Amateur Radio Today every Sunday morning at 10:00 CAT on 145,750 MHz in the Pretoria area, with relays on 7 082, 7 205 and 17 760 kHz. There is also a podcast by Dirk, ZS6RO. For a web-stream and Echolink by ZS6FCS, visit www.sarl.org.za, click on 'Amateur Radio Today', go down the green column and click on 'LISTEN ON THE WEB'. A repeat transmission can be heard on Mondays at 17:30 UTC on 4 895 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 Flip Britz, ZS6BSO, and edited by George Honiball, ZS6NE.
Thank you for listening. 73.
/EX
