SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE NEWS FOR SUNDAY 29 APRIL 2018
Good morning and welcome to the weekly news bulletin of the South African Radio League read by ................ [your name, call sign and QTH]
The South African Radio League broadcasts a news bulletin each Sunday in Afrikaans as well as English, at 08:15 and 08:30 Central African Time respectively, on HF as well as on various VHF and UHF repeaters around the country. The bulletin is relayed via Echolink by ZS6JPL. A podcast is available on the League website.
Audio and text bulletins may be downloaded from the League website at www.sarl.org.za where you can also sign up to receive future bulletins by e-mail.
In the news, today:
YOUNG SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO AMATEURS INVITED TO APPLY FOR YOTA 2018
BOOK NOW FOR THE SDR WORKSHOP ON 5 MAY
And
GREAT ATTENDANCE PRIZES TO BE WON AT THE AMSATSA SPACE SYMPOSIUM
Stay tuned for more information on these and other interesting news items.
YOUNG SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO AMATEURS INVITED TO APPLY FOR YOTA 2018
South Africa will host 80 young Radio Amateurs from 34 countries in Europe, Africa and parts of the Middle East, for a week-long international event from 8 to 15 August 2018. This is the first time that YOTA (Youngsters-on-the-Air Summer Event) is presented in South Africa and hosted by the South African Radio League (SARL). Applications are now invited for the South African Team and anyone aged between 16 and 25 is invited to apply for selection as a team member and participate in this amazing amateur radio event.
"This annual event creates, in addition to amateur radio, the opportunity to learn about different nationalities and cultures, foster international friendships and goodwill as well as learning new radio communication and technical skills", says SARL President, Nico van Rensburg, ZS6QL.
YOTA brings together young radio amateurs under the age of 26 who have a passion for amateur radio and technology to learn new skills, discuss and share ideas about amateur radio and its future. This year's camp will not just focus on teaching individual skills but look at empowering the group to become mentors and transfer the skills they have learned. The week-long programme includes building a radio transceiver kit, becoming involved in launching and tracking of a high-altitude balloon with various radio equipment on-board, hone their communication skills using multi-frequency amateur radio stations and other technology and communications-based activities.
To be considered for selection in the South African team, visit www.zs9yota.co.za, complete the online application in full and submit before 30 May 2018. The SARL YOTA Team Selection Committee will notify successful applicants by 17 June 2018.
Full details about the 2018 event can be found on www.zs9yota.co.za. For additional information contact the team at info@zs9yota.co.za. Radio Amateurs and companies can become involved in YOTA 2018 by financially contributing. For banking and PayPal details visit www.zs9yota.co.za. Support the future of amateur radio.
BOOK NOW FOR THE SDR WORKSHOP ON 5 MAY
The next workshop looking at what antennas to use for the project and other interesting aspects of the project will be presented at the SARL National Amateur Radio Centre on Saturday 5 May. Get a registration form and details on www.amsatsa.org.za. This is a joint SARL/AMSAT SA project with special rates for members of both organisations. Non-members are also invited.
Vince Harrison will discuss various antennas and their characteristics. Do not miss this opportunity. To assist with catering please register by 3 May 2018, or better still, do it today. You can also download the registration from and check your registration details www.sarl.org.za .
ANTIQUE WIRELESS ASSOCIATION AM/SSB VALVE QSO PARTY ON 5 AND 6 MAY
The AWA Valve QSO Party is a phone contest held over two sessions on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 May 2018. On Saturday afternoon the AM session will be on the air from 13:00 to 17:00 UTC and on Sunday the SSB session will run from 13:00 to 17:00 UTC. Activity on both days takes place on 40 metres between 7 063 and 7 100 kHz and on 80 metres between 3 603 and 3650 kHz with your call sign a RS report, a consecutive serial number starting at 001 and the type of radio used, e.g. HT37 Tx as the exchange.
Log sheets must be submitted by 25 May by e-mail to andyzs6ady@vodamail.co.za or by mail to the Antique Wireless Association of Southern Africa, PO Box 12320, Benoryn, 1504. Certificates will be awarded to the first three places in each category (AM/SSB). Please consult the 2018 SARL Contest Manual for all the information.
GREAT ATTENDANCE PRIZES TO BE WON AT THE AMSATSA SPACE SYMPOSIUM
Register now for the AMSATSA Space symposium to be held at the Innovation Hub in Pretoria on Saturday 19 May 2018. Exiting papers and demonstrations will be presented. There are also some great attendance prizes to be won. Sam's Radios has donated a Diamond X-5000 2 m/70 cm/23 cm Base Station Antenna, a UHF Power Amp 1 - 6 Watts in and 10 - 25 Watts out as well as a MFJ-914 Auto Tuner Extender. Avnet has donated four PIC32MM Curiosity Development boards.
To check out the programme and other prizes and to register, point your browser to www.amsatsa.org.za. The Innovation hub is situated along the N1 to Polokwane, opposite the CSIR, a short, easy journey from just about anywhere in the greater Johannesburg/Pretoria environs.
You are listening to a news Bulletin of the South African Amateur Radio League.
HOW TO MAKE ANALOGUE METEOR SCATTER CONTACTS ON 50 MHz WITHOUT ANY EFFORT
Mike, ZS2FM made many analogue Meteor Scatter two-way contacts on 50 MHz using SSB and FM around the peak of the meteor bursts. He learned the trick many years ago when he would programme the frequency of a distant 50 MHz beacon, such as ZS6DN on 50,050 MHz, into the memory of his Kenwood All Mode Quad Bander as well as the calling frequency on another memory position. Channels could be switched instantly by pressing a single button. Most major meteor showers will often produce meteor bursts that lasts about 30 seconds, which is long enough to make a nice little QSO, but you must be snappy.
Here is the formula. First five seconds - after you heard the first trace of a meteor burst call - CQ ZS2XXX, ZS2XXX. Second five seconds - listen for a reply - ZS2XXX ZS6YYY. Third five seconds - establish the contact - ZS6YYY ZS2XXX. Fourth five seconds - receive the signal report - ZS2XXX ZS6YYY R5 S8, R5 S8. Fifth five seconds - give a signal report - ZS6YYY ZS2XXX R5 S9, R5 S9. Sixth five seconds - ZS6YYY confirms Meteor Scatter QSO - 73, 73.
In the case of short meteor bursts of about five seconds or so, it is still possible to make analogue contacts, but it will take longer and several Meteor Scatter bursts to accomplish. The first step is to arrange skeds with a distant station to listen for you on the calling frequency, but also to monitor the beacon frequency. First Meter burst - call the sked station. Second Meteor Scatter burst - listen for a reply from the sked station. Third Meteor Scatter burst - if the sked station was heard then give him a signal report. Fourth Meteor Scatter burst - receive your signal report from the sked station.
RESULTS OF THE SARL VHF/UHF DIGITAL CONTEST
The first leg of the SARL VHF/UHF Digital Contest was run over the weekend of 7 and 8 April. The winner of the Field Station category is Christo Greyling ZR6AUI/4 with 9 573 points. The winner of the Limited 4-hour category is Rickus de Lange, ZS4A with 1 530 points. And the winner of the Base Station, Single operator category is Pieter Jacobs, V51PJ with 5 628 points.
RESULTS OF THE 80 METER QSO PARTY
The first leg of the SARL 80 m QSO Party was held on Thursday 5 April with 73 stations participating in the contest, but only 16 contest logs were submitted. The logs received represent 22% of the evening’s participation.
1st Jan Botha, ZS4JAN - 635 points
2nd Thanie Gibson, ZS4AX – 525 points
3rd Barry Nugent, ZS2NF – 420 points
4th Woody Collet, ZS3WL – 320 points
5th Garth Moore, ZS2AAR - 300 points
PROPAGATION REPORT
Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the solar activity is expected to remain at very low levels. There is a single sunspot visible, but no flaring activity is expected. If you want to do your own frequency predictions, the expected effective sunspot number for the week will be around two. The 15 to 30 metre bands may provide lots of DX fun. Please visit the website spaceweather.sansa.org.za for further information.
Finally, a Diary of some upcoming events:
30 April – Closing date for logs for the ZS4 Sprint
1 May – Workers Day
5 May – The SDR Workshop at the NARC and the AWA Valve AM QSO Party
6 May – the AWA Valve SSB QSO Party
8 May – Remembrance Day for World War 2
10 May – Ascension Day
13 May – Mother’s Day
16 May – start of Ramadan
19 May – AMSATSA Space Symposium
20 May – the ZS3 Sprint
To conclude our bulletin a quick overview of our main news item:
South Africa will host 80 young Radio Amateurs from 34 countries in Europe, Africa and parts of the Middle East, for a week-long international event from 8 to 15 August 2018. This is the first time that YOTA (Youngsters-on-the-Air Summer Event) is presented in South Africa and hosted by the South African Radio League (SARL). Applications are now invited for the South African Team and anyone aged between 16 and 25 is invited to apply for selection as a team member and participate in this amazing amateur radio event. Full details about the 2018 event can be found on www.zs9yota.co.za.
This concludes our bulletin for this morning.
Clubs and individuals are invited to submit news items of interest to radio amateurs and shortwave listeners, if possible, in both English and Afrikaans, by following the news inbox link on the South African Radio League web page. News items for inclusion in the bulletin should reach the news team no later than the Thursday preceding the bulletin date.
You are welcome to join us every Sunday morning for the weekly amateur radio program, 'Amateur Radio Today' at 10:00 Central African Time. The program 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; please 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 Andy Cairns, ZS6ADY, edited by Dick Stratford, ZS6RO, and read by ........................................
From the news team, best wishes for the week ahead.
/EX
