SARL NEWS - SUNDAY 03 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).

In the news today:

FIRST 2009 RADIO TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION SYMPOSIUM NEXT WEEKEND IN GAUTENG

NO SURPISES IN ELECTION OF THE SARL COUNCIL

AGM MOTIONS RESULTS

MARGINAL INCREASES IN ANNUAL FEES

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

FIRST 2009 RADIO TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION SYMPOSIUM NEXT WEEKEND IN GAUTENG

The first of the 2009 Radio Technology in Action Symposiums will take place in Gauteng at the SARL National Amateur Radio Centre, Octave Road, Radiokop.
The full programme is available on the web at www.sarl.org.za. Here are the highlights of the programme:
• Amateur Radio not your Granddaddy's radio. What will Amateur Radio of the future look like?
• Time-domain reflectometry (TDR) and Time-domain transmissometry (TDT).
• Step by step design of a 2 m low noise amplifier.
• HF Radio Technology in Space Physics Research.
• Make satellites your next stop in amateur radio.
• Practical application of Spread Spectrum Technology Including the building of a DSSS Transceiver.
• Shortwave Listening — is it the forgotten hobby?
Entry fee is only R30 per person. Learners and Students enter free of charge. The entry fee includes entry into the attendance draw. Bring your friends along. It is the annual SARL event not to miss. Early morning tea and coffee will be available at the NARC building. The Symposium is at the Sentech Conference Centre complex

NO SURPISES IN ELECTION OF THE SARL COUNCIL

As only 12 persons were nominated for Council, there was no election. The outgoing council has been re-nominated with one new councillor and one co-opted Councillor.
The following persons will serve for the coming year:
President: ZS1YT, Rassie Erasmus; Vice President: ZS4BS, Denis Green, Dennis is also Editor of Radio ZS and HF manager; Secretary: ZS1AAZ, Henry Chamberlain; Minute Secretary: ZS5DL, Laurie Devereux; Regulatory Affairs and Marketing: ZS6AKV, Hans van de Groenendaal; RAE Manager: ZS6YES, Mark Zank: Honorary Legal Adviser and Office Manager: ZS6LME, Louw Erasmus; HAMNET, QSL Manager and Office logistics: ZS6BUU, Francois Botha; Membership Development and Club Liaison: ZS2ILN, Ivan Newman; IARUMS: ZS4SM, Malcolm Kriel; and Elmer: ZS1FCS, Fred Scheepers. Joining the Council for the first time is ZS3TG Gerard Coetzee in the portfolio: education, youth events and STARS. John Willescroft, ZS6EF, was co-opted at the first Council meeting which immediately followed after the AGM to fill the portfolio of Technology Development.

AGM MOTIONS RESULTS

Motion 1, requesting expansion of reciprocal license agreements with more countries was carried. During discussion it was agreed that all SADC countries should be included in the proposal put to ICASA. It was pointed out that while the SARL will start the process without delay, the actual procedures are long winded and will also involve the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Motion 2, asking the SARL to develop a closer relationship with clubs was carried with only 10 votes against. While the motion is principally very sound, the proposer and Seconder did not table any proposals on how to achieve this. It was agreed to hold a President’s net and invite clubs and individuals to put forward proposals on how to achieve this.
Motion 3, proposing that non SARL members could also become members of Hamnet was carefully considered. The Honorary Legal adviser ruled the motion as ultra virus. The motion was therefore returned to the Proposer and Seconder for possible rewording and tabling at the 2010 AGM.

MARGINAL INCREASES IN ANNUAL FEES
The fees for a full member for the 2009/2010 financial year will be R340. If the fee is paid before 31 August an early payment discount of R20 applies and members only pay R320.
The fee for Senior Members will be R212 with an early payment discount of R12. If paid before 31 August the fee will be R200. Subscription accounts will be mailed towards the end of May. The web will be updated with all the other fees by the end of the weekend.

JOIN NOW AND GET MAY AND JUNE FREE

Non-members are invited to join now, pay the discounted 2009/2010 fee of R320 and get May and June free of charge. For senior non-members joining, the fee will be R200. Call the SARL office on Monday to get this special offer. Mariska’s number is 011 675 2393.

RAE CANDIDATES GET THE DETAILS

The examination numbers for the Radio Amateur Examinations are now available on the web at the following URL:
http://www.sarl.org.za/public/licences/rae_exam_numbers.asp. (Read as sarl.org.za forward slash public forward slash licences forward slash rae underscore exam underscore numbers .asp. The spaces in the typed text above are underscores _ ).

If you can’t remember the URL go to www.sarl.org.za, click on licensing, then select Radio Amateur’s Examinations and click on exam numbers.

ANOTHER DAY FOR CONSTRUCTION COMPETITION ENTRIES

Entries for the SA Amateur Radio Development Trust Construction competition will be accepted till the end of the long weekend i.e Monday 4 May.

CLUB NEWS

The Sandton ARC will be holding its next club technical meeting on Tuesday 26th May 2009 at 19:00 at the NARC. The guest speaker is going to be Mike Brink, ZS6MEG, who will be presenting his Ham Meter Project. The evening promises to be extremely interesting and Mike's presentation will be well received. This meeting is open to anyone who would like to attend and the club would like to ask that anyone who wishes to attend the meeting, to please SMS Mark Zank, ZS6YES, on his cell 083 367 8943 with his/her name and how many attendees would be there, or alternately email him to zs6yes@gmail.com. There will be drinks and softdrinks available for a small donation.

PROPAGATION REPORT

Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the expected solar activity will be very low. The geomagnetic field is expected to be predominantly at quiet levels. The expected Effective Sun Spot number for the coming week will be less than 5. Currently there is only a single physical sunspot on the surface of the sun. This lonely sunspot is a member of the previous Solar Cycle. We are indeed experiencing a very deep minimum. The sun's failure to produce sunspots is playing havoc with some frequency prediction programs that use stored sunspot values, and of course, with our HF comms as well. The frequency prediction programs tend to give optimistic results and must be treated with caution.
The imminent change of season with less energy from the sun reaching the Southern ionosphere is having an impact on propagation as well. 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. The North Easterly, North Westerly, South Easterly and South Westerly paths will be challenging.
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 day time. 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. With winter on its way 20 m is preparing for hibernation but may still give surprising results up to lunchtime.
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 a bit 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

3 May - ZS3 Sprint;
4 May – Last day of acceptance of entries for the SARDT construction
competition;
9 May – RTA at the NARC;
15 May – Closing date for SARDT award nominations;
26 May - Sandton ARC technical meeting.

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.

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 George, ZS6NE. Thank you for listening, 73.

/EX