SARL NEWS - SUNDAY 26 AUGUST 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 145,725 and 7,066 MHz from Pretoria, with relays on 3,695 MHz SSB. (Other newsreaders change to suit).

SILENT KEY

It is with regret that the Port Elizabeth ARS has to announce that one of their long standing members, Dudley Forsyth, ZS2AW, passed away on Sunday 26 August. He was 91 years old and was first licensed as ZU2D in 1936 when he was 15 years old. He served during WWII and was a POW in Germany. After the war he obtained the ZS2AW call sign.

We offer our condolences to his family and friends.

(PAUSE)

In the news today:

PLANNING TO WRITE THE RAE IN OCTOBER?

IARU SAYS IT WOULD WELCOME DOT RADIO DOMAIN

You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more details on these and other important and interesting items.

PLANNING TO WRITE THE RAE IN OCTOBER?

The closing date for the October RAE is on Monday 10 September. Please note the new closing date. It is 10 days earlier than before to accommodate the requirements of ICASA. Details of how to register for the examination can be found on www.sarl.org.za, click on licensing in the left hand column and select the link amateur radio examinations.

It is important to follow the instructions to the letter and to ensure that all forms are duly completed and forwarded to admin@sarl.org.za or by fax to 086 299 0566. Please use a black pen and write clearly in block letters. For assistance, call Mariska at 011 675 2393. No late entries can be excepted.

Affiliated clubs wishing to facilitate an exam centre should ensure that an examiner and an invigilator are registered by 6 September latest.

IARU SAYS IT WOULD WELCOME DOT RADIO DOMAIN

The International Amateur Radio Union says that it will back the European Broadcasting Union proposal that the top level Internet domain dot radio be used to help to create a global radio community. IARU President Tim Ellam, VE6SH, says that his organization believes that the proposal, to be submitted by the European Broadcast Union, could provide a unique opportunity to standardize radio domain names on the Internet.

In a recently public made letter, VE6SH said that he recommends that the dot radio domain proposal be approved by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. European Broadcast Union Director General, Ingrid Deltenre said the International Amateur Radio Union comments are an expression of confidence in the proposal. The complete story on the new dot radio domain and how it will impact all spectrum users is on-line at tinyurl.com/iaru-dot-radio

ARRL CENTENNIAL CONVENTION TO BE HELD IN HARTFORD

The ARRL has announced that the organization will hold its 2014 national Centennial Convention in Hartford, Connecticut, from 17 to 20 July. The Convention will mark 100 years of the ARRL's founding that took place in the city of Hartford. The theme for ARRL's Centennial year is Advancing the Art and Science of Radio Since 1914. More information is on-line at www.arrl.org/expo.

NORTH CAROLINA TEEN NAMED RECIPIENT OF ARRL'S 2011 HIRAM PERCY MAXIM AWARD

Derek Brown, W4DTB, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was named the recipient of the 2011 Hiram Percy Maxim Award. Derek, who is 14, has been licensed since 2010 and holds an Amateur Extra class license.

He first became interested in Amateur Radio after reading an article in MAKE Magazine. "After I read the ARRL Ham Radio License Manual, I went to the local club, the Orange County Radio Amateurs to take my Technician test," he told the ARRL. "That same evening, I met my Elmer, Bruce Meier, N1LN, who inspired me to finish the next two tests. He helped me build a station, including my first radio that I bought at a swap meet. With his help, I put up a vertical antenna in my backyard. Unfortunately, a tree knocked down the antenna about two weeks ago and broke the mounting bracket, so I'll be offline until after we get the replacement parts."

He is the founder of the Youth Amateur Radio Club of America (YARCA), which aims to further youth in Amateur Radio; one of YARCA's initial target audiences is Scout troops. The site includes license test training and a Boy Scout Radio Merit Badge Workshop. Derek said he is currently planning for YARCA to hold a Badge Day for local Boy and Cub Scouts. He is also an ARRL Public Information Officer (PIO).

When not on the radio, Derek spends time as a Computer Science intern, where he is creating computer programs in a variety of languages. He is also a Lincoln-Douglas debater and will be travelling to tournaments across the country this year. He will be entering his first year at Durham Academy in Durham, North Carolina this autumn.

The Hiram Percy Maxim Award is given to an ARRL member under the age of 18. It is intended to provide a tangible reward to those deserving young amateurs who contribute their time, skills and energies daily through their commitment to Amateur Radio.

CONTEST NEWS

SARL HF Digital Contest.
The Competition Committee received eleven single operator logs and one multi-operator log for the Digital contest held on 19 August 2012.

In the single operator class, Noel Hammond, ZR6DX, with 127 points beat Brendon Muller, ZS4BM, with 125 points for first place. Marius Snyman, ZR6MS, with 120 points took third place. Francois Reynecke, ZS6FDX, and friends participated as a multi-operator station and made 5 points.

Rohan Schreuder, ZS6RJS, achieved the highest score on a single band with his 99 points on 40 metres. In the Club Competition, the East Rand Branch took top honours with 199 points, followed by the West Rand ARC with 127 points and the Bloemfontein ARC with 125 points.

Congratulations to Noel, Rohan and the East Rand Branch.

The Contest Committee has already received 14 logs for the HF CW contest held on Sunday 26 August. The closing date is midnight on Monday 3 September.

The second leg of the SARL VHF/UHF Analogue and Digital contest will be held from 10:00 UTC on Saturday 15 September to 10:00 UTC on Sunday 16 September. Activity will be on 6, 4 and 2 metres as well as 70 and 23 cm and the higher bands. Read the complete rules from page 32 of the 2012 SARL Contest Manual, there is too much to include here in the bulletin.

CLUB NEWS

At the AGM of the Potchefstroom Amateur Radio Club held on 25 August 2012 the following were elected as committee members for 2012/13:
Chairman: Stef Terblanche, ZS6AOK
Vice-chairman: Joe Mayer, ZS6ANW
Treasurer: Chris Viljoen, ZS6BYQ
Secretary: Johan Bamberger, ZS6LVG
Technical: Stef Terblanche, ZS6AOK
Member: Dawie Genis, ZS6GWD
Social: Annetjie Terblanche, ZR6BYG

PROPAGATION REPORT

Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the solar activity is at moderate levels but that the outlook is very promising. A returning sunspot region is crackling with C-class flares as it is rotating into view. There is also a good probability for M-class flares. Sunspot growth is also observed around various sunspots.

If you want to do your own frequency predictions, the expected effective sunspot number for the week will be around 56.

All the bands from 20 to 10 m will provide lots of DX fun with 20 m providing the best openings with 15 m not far behind. 10 m openings will be less frequent due to the moderate solar activity.

Please visit www.spaceweather.co.za for further information.

DIARY OF EVENTS
3 September – Closing date for log submission for the HF CW Contest.
6 September – Clubs wishing to facilitate RA examination centres must register examiners and invigilators before this date.
10 September – Last day to enrol for the October RAE.
15 and 16 September – SARL VHF/UHF analogue and digital contest.
30 September - Nominations for MTN sponsored SAARDT awards to be in to saardt@intekom.co.za.

SARL News invites clubs and individuals to submit news items of interest to radio amateurs and short-wave 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.

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 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 3 230 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 Martin Schwella, ZS4MS, and edited George Honiball, ZS6NE.

Thank you for listening, 73.
/EX