SARL NEWS – SUNDAY – 07 SEPTEMBER 2008
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 transmitted 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 and previous bulletins from www.sarl.org.za and 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 28,325, 14,235, 10,130, 7,066 and 3,695 MHz SSB, as well as 51,400, 438,825 and 1 296 MHz FM in the Pretoria area. (Other newsreaders please change to suit).
SILENT KEYS
It is with rgeret that the keys of two radio amateurs became silent recently. They are:
Doepie, ZS1HK, member of the Overberg Amateur Radio Club, and Tienie Nel, ZS6LML, on 2 September. Our sincerest condolences to Marietjie, the YL of Doepie, and Nita the YL of Tienie, their other relatives and friends.
(PAUSE0
In the news today:
CLUB CHAIRMEN TO DEBATE THE FUTURE OF AMATEUR RADIO
SARL MEMBERSHIP CLOSE TO THE 1 200 MARK
PRESIDENT’S NET ON 21 SEPTEMBER
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more detail on these and other important and interesting news items.
CLUB CHAIRMAN TO DEBATE THE FUTURE OF AMATEUR RADIO AT THE RTA
The SARL Radio Technology in Action Symposium will kick off on Saturday 13 September with a debate by various club chairmen about the future of amateur radio. Join SARL President Rassie Erasmus, ZS1YT, Rad Handfield-Jones, ZS6RAD, of the Antique Wireless Association, John Hilton, ZR6HLT, of the Sandton Amateur Radio Club, Frank van Wensween, ZS6TMV, of the Highveld Amateur Radio Club and Chris Gryffenberg, ZS6COG, of the East Rand Amateur Radio Club in the debate.
In June, an open invitation was extended to all club chairmen to join the debate. It is, however, not too late for other club chairmen to join the discussion. Please send an e-mail to armi@sarl.org.za by Monday.
The RTA is scheduled at the SARL National Amateur Radio Centre at Radiokop. Registration opens at 08:15 and the programme starts at 09:00. The cost is R20 per person, including participation in the attendance draw for an ICOM 706, a RS Soldering Station and a Meterman Multimeter kit as well as various other prizes. Learners and students enter free of charge. Refreshments are available throughout the day from the Sentech cafeteria, or if you like, bring a picnic basket.
Following the amateur radio debate a range of interesting papers are on the programme including:
Spread Spectrum and Amateur Radio;
WiFi finding its way into Amateur Radio;
The SKA and Radio Free Zones;
Space Weather and HF propagation for Amateur Radio;
SARL - HMO Beacon Project;
An Audio/RF DDS Signal Generator.
While the papers are all about state-of-the-art technology, they are being presented at a popular technical level to interest both new, as well as the experienced radio amateur. Several papers include demonstrations.
EXHIBIT AT THE RTA
Clubs and Interest groups are invited to exhibit at the RTA and use the opportunity to promote their activities. Please book a space by sending an e-mail to armi@sarl.org.za by not later than 17:00 on Monday 11 September
Commercial vendors who advertise on the SARL web, or in Radio ZS, are offered free display space in return for an attendance prize item. It is, however, necessary to confirm by Monday afternoon if space is required. Send an e-mail to armi@sarl.org.za.
Full details about the RTA, the programme and information on how to get there, can be found on www.sarl.org.za.
SARL MEMBERSHIP CLOSE TO 1 200 MARK
This week the SARL membership increased to 1 176, edging up to the 1 200 mark, which we hope will be reached by next weekend. If you are not a member of the SARL yet, why not join this week by completing the on-line membership form which you will find on www.sarl.org.za. Membership is only R320 per year, a small amount to pay to support the National Body for Amateur Radio that promotes amateur radio on a national level. Contact Vee at 011 675 2393 weekdays between 09:00 and 13:00 for assistance with your membership allocation.
To all renewing and new members: welcome aboard – we are pleased to have you in our midst.
PRESIDENT’S NET ON 21 SEPTEMBER
SARL President, Rassie Erasmus, ZS1YT, invites all radio amateurs to join him on the President's Net on Sunday evening 21 September at 19:30. The net is the ideal opportunity to ask questions about the SARL and share ideas. One of the topics that will be on the agenda is the SARL awards. Nominations for various awards are due soon. Find out how you can nominate a fellow amateur to recognise him or her for outstanding achievements during the past year. The awards ceremony will be held at the annual dinner after the AGM on 25 April 2009.
CONTEST NEWS
RESULTS OF THE 2008 SARL HF PHONE CONTEST
Forty-one contest logs and 2 check logs were received for the SARL HF Phone Contest. Thirty-nine logs qualified for the lucky draw of the 2008 ARRL Handbook. The winner of the 2008 ARRL Handbook is John Green, ZS1JHG, of Fish Hoek. Congratulations John!
The results of the contest are as follows:
Multi-operator:
1st West Rand ARC, ZS6WR, 122 points.
Single Operator:
1st Gary Potgieter, ZS5NK, [Highway ARC] 223 points;
2nd Jan Botha, ZS4JAN, [Bloemfontein RAC] 219 points;
3rd Marinus Willemstijn, ZS6MAW, 192 points;
4th Roger Jones, ZS6RJ, [Pretoria ARC] 168 points;
5th Philip Esterhuizen, ZU4PE, [Bloemfontein RAC] 161 points.
The complete results have been published in HF Happenings 318.
On Sunday 14 September, the Spring QRP Contest will be on the air from 15:00 to 17:00 CAT. It is a phone and CW contest on the 40-metre band and the exchange is a RS or RST report and the operator’s age. Only wire antennas may be used.
The second leg of the SARL VHF/UHF Contest will be run from 12:00 CAT on Saturday 20 September to 12:00 CAT on Sunday 21 September. FM, SSB, CW and Digital modes may be used on 6, 4 and 2 metres, 70 and 23 cm and higher frequencies as per the band plan. The exchange is call signs, signal report and six-digit grid locator. The rules in the 2008 SARL Contest Manual are the only official rules. Logs must be sent to The Contest Committee, Box 12104, Brandhof, 9324, or by e-mail to hfcontests@netactive.co.za.
CLUB NEWS
The Overberg ARC, ZS1OAR will be holding a meeting at 10:00 on 20 September at the HMO. Everybody is welcome to attend, contact André, ZS1AZ, at zr1am@xsinet.co.za for more information.
At the AGM of the Hibiscus Coast Amateur Radio Club, which was held recently, the following members were elected to the management committee for the 2008/2009 term of office:
Chairman: Wim van der Loo ZS5XRL;
Secretary/Treasurer: Peter Smith, ZS5SK;
Newsletter: Gawie Hoon ZS5R; Mervyn Todd, ZS5QI;
Technical matters: Jan Coetzee ZS5JC; assisted by Garnett Gould, ZS5ZT;
Lighthouse weekend: Gawie Hoon, ZS5R;
Field Day: Rob Henry, ZS5XS;
Catering: Maestro: Mervyn Todd, ZS5QI.
Our thanks to the retired committee members for your valuable contributions and we wish strength to the new committee for its term of duty.
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 until 11 September, after which it will rise to unsettled levels. The expected Effective Sun Spot number for the coming week will be less than five. DX conditions will generally be good to the North and poor in the general northwesterly directions.
20 m will provide best opportunities for DX. There is a possibility of 20 m openings towards India from about 15:00 CAT. There is the possibility of weak 40 and 80 m openings to New Zealand at 20:00. Otherwise, contacts with Australia and New Zealand will be very challenging. From 16:00, there may be 15 and 20 m openings towards Europe. Contacts with the USA are going to be very challenging. 10 MHz is looking promising in the 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. With summer approaching, it is now an excellent time to make those 80 m contacts for your WAZS before the thunderstorms and static conditions start again. 160 m will also perform well during the evenings.
Remember that this is only a prediction and that HF always has the capability to 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
11 September - Last date to enrol for the October RAE;
13 September - Radio Technology in Action at the National Amateur Radio Centre;
14 September – Spring QRP Contest;
15 - 17 September - INSITE 2008 at Sandton Convention Centre;
20 September - Overberg ARC meeting at the HMO;
21 September – President’s Net;
20 - 21 September SARL VHF/UHF Contest;
03 October - Young Ladies meet SA starts;
08 October - Set up a school station for Space Week activity.
SARL News invites clubs and individuals to submit news stories of interest to radio amateurs and shortwave listeners. Submit news stories 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 the programme Amateur Radio Mirror International, on the air every Sunday morning at 10:00 CAT on 145,750 MHz in the Pretoria area with relays on 7 082, 7 205 and 17 590 kHz. For the web stream 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.
Dennis, ZS4BS, compiled today’s South African Radio League news bulletin.
Thank you for listening. 73.
/EX
