SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE NEWS SUNDAY 11 OCTOBER 2015

Good morning and welcome to the weekly news bulletin of the South African Radio League read by ………………………….. [your name, call sign and QTH]

You can tune into the South African Radio League news bulletin on Sunday mornings at 08:15 Central African Time in Afrikaans and at 08:30 Central African Time in English on HF and on many VHF and UHF repeaters around the country. Echolink listeners can connect to ZS0JPL for a relay. A podcast is available from the League web site.

This audio bulletin can be downloaded from the League website at www.sarl.org.za. You will find this bulletin and previous bulletins in text format under the news link on the left-hand side of the web page. While you are there, you can sign up to receive future bulletins by e-mail.

We start today’s bulletin with a silent key:

It is with sadness that we announce that Molly Peer ZR6MOL became a silent key on Monday 5 October in hospital at the age of 65. She had been a member of the SARL since 1995. Our sincere condolences to her husband Richard ZS6UK, her son Edwin ZR6ESP and her daughter Hilary ZR6HAP

PAUSE 5 Seconds


In the news today

REUNION ISLAND WORKED ON 144,427 MHz JT65b FROM DIVISION 5

RAE NEWS

THE SUMMER 2015 EDITION OF THE 5 MHZ NEWSLETTER IS AVAILABLE.

SSB SECTION OF THE AWA QSO PARTY THIS AFTERNOON


Stay tuned for more on these and other interesting news items.


**** Early on Wednesday morning 7 October 2015 at 07:44 Central African Time, Phil Mondon, FR5DN, at Le Avirons, Reunion Island, worked Dave Jones, ZS5DJ, at Ramsgate on 144,427 MHz JT65b over a distance of 2713 km. This is one of several contacts previously made along the East Coast from Durban to East London on 144 MHz SSB, and on digital as far South as Port Elizabeth over the record distance of 3247 km. Earlier in the week Phil warned us about good Tropo Ducting conditions across the Indian Ocean. Even if you don't have digital you can still monitor his beacon on USB and hear the piccolo tones when the signal is strong enough.

Andre Botes, ZS2ACP, also informed us about good propagation to Reunion Island Wednesday evening (7th). He managed to work Phil FR5DN on 144,427 MHz JT65b at 22:00 CAT and believes that Andre ZS2BK as well as some chaps in Division 5 also contacted Phil.

****Only four more days left to the Radio Amateur Examination on Thursday 15 October 2015.

Examination documentation has been sent via courier to the examination centres country wide. RAE candidates have been preparing for the past four months for this occasion.
The SARL council would like to wish all candidates all of the best. May we soon hear you on the amateur air waves.

****A little behind time, the latest edition of The 5 MHz Newsletter - Summer 2015 (No 14) is now available for free download in pdf format from tinyurl.com/ockn2ea. It can also be found in the 'external links' section of the Wiki 60 Meter Band page and on the RSGB 5 MHz page.
Our 5th Birthday edition includes news on the CEPT European Common Proposal for an amateur 5 MHz secondary allocation for WRC-15, 5 MHz allocations in Hungary, Oman, The Netherlands and Honduras, an updated listing of WebSDRs covering 5 MHz, a Pyramid Antenna for 5 MHz and the new FSQ data mode, optimised for NVIS.

**** The SSB section of the Antique Wireless Association's AM and SSB Valve QSO Party takes place his afternoon from 13:00 to 17:00 UTC. Activity is on the 40 and 80 metre bands using the following segments - 7 063 to 7 100 kHz and 3 603 to 3 650 kHz. The exchange is your call sign, a RS report, a consecutive serial number starting at 001 and the type of radio used, e.g. HT37 Tx.

The AM section took place yesterday afternoon. Logs must be submitted by 31 October to andyzs6ady@vodamail.co.za or by snail mail to the Southern African Antique Wireless Association, PO Box 12320, Benoryn, 1504. Please refer to the 2015 SARL Contest Manual for all the rules.


You are listening to a news bulletin of the South African Radio League

****Applications for membership of the SARL have been received from the following persons:
. ZS6EST: Norman Esterhuizen
. ZSL1180: Qingchao Zhu

The following clubs have submitted applications for affiliation.
ZS10AR Overberg Amateur Radio Club
ZS6STN Sandton Amateur Radio Club
ZS1FUN Cape Winelands Club
ZR6TS First Polokwane Scouts Group

Any objections to the acceptance of the applications must reach the Secretary before or on the Tuesday after the bulletin.

Membership of the SARL currently stands at 1500 plus 40 affiliated clubs


**** SARL YOUTH NET Sunday - The SARL Youth Net will meet Sunday 11 October at 16:00 on 7070 KHz. Join Koos ZR6KF will discuss plans for the December 2015 youth month and how to participate and enjoy the fun. Youth on the Air or YOTA is an international event aimed at bringing young people together on the amateur air waves during the month of December.

**** Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the solar activity is expected to be at low levels. None of the sunspots visible on the Sun are actively flaring.

If you want to do your own frequency predictions, the expected effective sunspot number for the week will be around 25.

The 20 to 10 m bands will provide lots of DX fun, especially during the late afternoons and in the evenings.

Please visit the website spaceweather.sansa.org.za for further information.


**** And now for the diary of events

10 and 11 October - the AWA AM and SSB valve radio contest
15 October - die Radio amateur exam
16 till 18 October - Jamboree-on-the-air
17 October - CQ HouKoers
24 and 25 October - the CQ WW DX SSB contest
10 November – closing date for articles for the November/December issue of Radio ZS


To end this bulletin, a recap of our main news item this morning.

**** Early on Wednesday morning 7 October 2015 at 07:44 Central African Time, Phil Mondon, FR5DN, at Le Avirons, Reunion Island, worked Dave Jones, ZS5DJ, at Ramsgate on 144,427 MHz JT65b over a distance of 2713 km.

****Only four more days left to the Radio Amateur Examination on Thursday 15 October 2015.

**** The SSB section of the Antique Wireless Association's AM and SSB Valve QSO Party takes place his afternoon from 13:00 to 17:00 UTC. Activity is on the 40 and 80 metre bands using the following segments - 7 063 to 7 100 kHz and 3 603 to 3 650 kHz.

The SARL council would like to wish all candidates all of the best. May we soon hear you on the amateur air waves.


You are welcome to join us every Sunday morning for the weekly amateur radio magazine programme ‘Amateur Radio Today’ at 10:00 Central African Time. The programme can be heard on VHF and UHF repeaters countrywide and on 7 082 kHz lower side-band and on 7 205 kHz and 17 760 kHz AM. There is also a podcast available from Dick Stratford, ZS6RO. A rebroadcast can be heard on Monday evenings at 18:30 Central African Time on 3 230 kHz AM.

We welcome your signal reports, comments and suggestions; send these by e-mail to artoday@sarl.org.za. Sentech sponsors the radio transmissions on the non-amateur frequencies.

You have listened to a news bulletin compiled by Etienne Naude, ZS6EFN, edited by Brian Utterton, ZS6AEand read byRory Norton, ZS2BL.

From the entire news team, best wishes for the week ahead.

73 and thank you for listening

/EX