SARL NEWS - SUNDAY 05 JUNE 2011
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. PLEASE NOTE: 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 7,066 and 3,695 MHz SSB.
SILENT KEYS
It is with regret that it has to be announced that the key of two radio amateurs went silent recently. They are:
Corrie Van Der Westhuizen, ZS4CR, on the 29th May and:
Wallie Els, ZS6WE, on Monday the 30th May after having suffered from a combination of illnesses lately. He was cremated on Thursday the 2nd June.
Our sincerest condolences to the relatives and friends of the deceased.
(PAUSE)
In the news today:
CELEBRATE 50 YEARS OF RSA
URGENT NOTICE TO ALL AMATEUR LICENSEES
SUMBANDILASAT SO67 YOUTH DAY EVENT
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more details on these and other important and interesting news items.
CELEBRATE 50 YEARS OF RSA
On 31 May 1961, the Republic of South Africa came into being and to celebrate the 50th anniversary the Boland Amateurradioklub will operate a special event station with the callsign ZS50RSA. It was on the air on Saturday 4 June 2011 and will be operating for the next twelve months during special events and during on the air competitions. QSL will be via the bureau and the SA-QSL on the web. All cards received will be reciprocated.
The Boland Amateur-radio klub aims to achieve the WAZS 500 during the twelve months of operating ZS50RSA.
URGENT NOTICE TO ALL AMATEUR LICENSEES
Last weekend ICASA cancelled over 34 000 radio licenses that have remained unpaid for the past 365 days. This includes all amateur radio licenses that are unpaid for the past year. Check that you have paid your license and if you do not have a valid printed license or an official receipt call ICASA at 011 566 3313 or 011 566 3319 between 08:30 - 16:00 Monday - Friday. If your amateur license was cancelled call now and ICASA will re-instate it if you can prove payment. If you have not paid, do so now using the information and account number on your last license.
ICASA's finance department did not consult with the licensing department and simply cancelled all licenses unpaid for 365 days. It should also be noted that ICASA sends out reminders as a courtesy but the responsibility remains with the licensee to ensure that the license is paid up at all times.
The current fee is still R27 and the new license period is from 1 April to 31 March. If you did not pay R6,75 in January for the three months January to March add that to the R27 in other words pay R33,75.
SUMBANDILASAT SO67 YOUTH DAY EVENT
As part of the SARL Youth Day event on 16 June, SA AMSAT has joined the activity with a special satellite event and competition. The original beacon message will be transmitted on the two morning passes. Each pass is approx 10 minutes and starts at 07:56 and 09:33 CAT respectively. The first pass has a much higher elevation and reception should be possible with a simple antenna and a hand held transceiver. The receive frequency is 435,345 MHz but please tune up and down to compensate for Doppler. To enter the competition, participants under 18 must copy the callsign given in the message. There are several prizes to be won. There is a second competition open to all age groups. Copy the full beacon text either as an mp3 recording or fully written out. Send entries to saamsat@intekom.co.za.
JAPAN SCRAPS FINAL MORSE TESTING
The country that started the no-code licensing revolution some six decades ago has finally dropped the Morse testing requirement for all of that nation’s amateur radio licensees. This with word that the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs has decided to scrap Morse testing for the Amateur Radio Class 1 and 2 licenses with an effective date of this coming October 1st.
What amounts to Japan's version of a Notice of Proposed Rule Making on the Morse test was held earlier in the year. There were 39 people who responded. Following a discussion of the information the responses provided, the Ministry announced that Morse telegraphy testing would be discontinued.
Japan pioneered the High Frequency No-Code Amateur Radio or Class 4 license in the 1950's although they still required Morse for the higher license classes.
WHO NOW SAYS CELL PHONES MAY CAUSE CANCER
According to the World Health Organization, radiation from cell phones can possibly cause cancer. This as the agency now lists mobile phone as a carcinogenic hazard.
According to published news reports, a team of thirty-one scientists from fourteen nations reached this the decision after reviewing previously reviewed studies on cellular telephone safety. The scientists say that they found enough evidence to categorize personal exposure as possibly carcinogenic to humans.
What that means is they found some proof of increase of two types of brain cancer with mobile phone users, but have not been able to draw conclusions for other types of cancers.
The wireless industry responded to the announcement saying it "does not mean cell phones cause cancer”. The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association added that World Health Organization researchers did not conduct any new research, but rather just reviewed already published studies.
Before its announcement on Tuesday May 31st, the World Health Organization had assured consumers that no adverse health effects from cellular telephones had been established.
The report also did not differentiate between cell phones operating in the 900 MHz band with those at higher frequencies. So your hand-held at 70 cm is most probably very safe!
HF BEACON CALL SIGN CHANGE
The HF beacon ZS4BOT transmitting on 7,027 MHz is changing to ZS0BOT. ICASA contacted ZS4JAN and explained that the original callsign was issued incorrectly. ICASA explained that the call signs of all beacons will be changed to start with ZS0 prefixes.
PROPAGATION REPORT
Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the Solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for M-class flares through 9 June. Activity is expected to decrease to very low to low levels during 10 - 14 June. During the week numerous C-Class flares took place around Sunspot 1 226, which is changing shapes and sizes. Another sunspot is forming yet again, this time it is located just to the west of Sunspot 1 231. For those who do their own frequency predictions, the expected effective sunspot number for the week is about 55.
15 m will provide the best opportunities for DX followed by 20 and 30 m and the WARC bands in between, of course.
Please visit www.spaceweather.co.za for further information.
DIARY OF EVENTS
16 June – Transmission of Youth in Amateur Radio at 09:30, but receive beacon signal already on 435,345 MHz at 07:56 and 09:33.
16 June – Youth Day Sprint from 10:00 till 12:00 CAT
18 June - Programming in Windows course in Gauteng. Book at www.sarl.org.za.
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 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 17 750 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 18:30 CAT 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 George, ZS6NE.
Thank you for listening, 73.
/EX
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