SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE
SARL NEWS SUNDAY 15 JULY 2007
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 that is transmitted every Sunday at 08:15 CAT in Afrikaans and at 08:30 CAT in English. To listen to a web stream or Echolink by ZS6FCS visit www.sarl.org.za, click on ARMI and follow the links for details.
This, and previous bulletins, can be downloaded from the www.sarl.org.za. You can also read or download previous bulletins from there and subscribe to receive future bulletins by email.
This transmission is by Hans, ZS6KR, on 145,725 and 7,066 MHz from Pretoria with relays on 3,695, 10,135, 14,235 and 51,400 MHz as well as 438,825 and 1 297 MHz in the Pretoria area. (Other newsreaders please change to suit).
SILENT KEY
It is with regret that we must announce the passing of J.J. Joubert (Jody), ZS6BLW, on Thursday 5 July 2007. Following his retirement from the Navy, he was involved with the Air Force Museum at AFB Swartkops and the National Military Museum in Johannesburg.
We extend our condolences to his wife Faith, family and friends.
PAUSE
In the news today:
SEE YOU IN BLOEMFONTEIN THIS COMING SATURDAY
WHEN NORTH IS NOT NORTH!
MEMBERSHIP CARDS ON THEIR WAY
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more detail on these and other important and interesting news items.
SEE YOU IN BLOEMFONTEIN THIS COMING SATURDAY
The SARL Technology in Action programme hits Bloemfontein this coming Saturday, 21 July at the Advanced Training Wing at the School of Armour. Registration is at 08:30 with the official opening at 09:00. The programme is packet with interesting presentations. Tony Voorvelt will open the presentations with "The mystery of the frog's thigh" - the story of the invention of the battery". Other presentations include "Cognitive Radio, an emerging technology that may make more intelligent use of the available radio spectrum", "Research in ionospheric radio propagation", "World Radio Sport Team Championships and DXpeditions", "WJST Software and Antennas for Long Distance VHF Work" and BACAR 2007 style, a fun project to take into school or for a club outing. Entrance fee is R 20 per person, learners and students enter free. The entrance ticket includes entry into the attendance prize draw.
Full details can be found by clicking on RTA on the SARL Web pages at www.sarl.org.za.
WHEN NORTH IS NOT NORTH!
Have you ever considered that if you align your beam heading on north using a compass that in fact you are way off target and that the further south you live the worse the error will be? Join Pieter Kotze of the Geomagnetism Group of the Hermanus Magnetic Observatory at the next Intecnet on Sunday 29 July for an interesting discussion. Before that you may want to read the science fiction novel Polar Shift by the author Clive Cussler. When will the poles flip and north become south? Clive Cussler has created a second to none fiction drama, Pieter Kotze will take us to the reality and discuss when it is likely to happen. Should we worry about it or should we rather get our antenna rotators properly aligned? The Intecnet discussion is on the air at 20:00, after the President’s Net, on Sunday 29 July.
Clubs wishing to join their local repeaters for both the President’s Net and the Intecnet should send an email to armi@sarl.org.za with details of the telephone number to be linked to the conference bridge.
MEMBERSHIP CARDS ON THEIR WAY
Members who have paid their 2007/2008 subscription will soon be receiving their membership card. Some final logistics are being sorted out. This year members will have to cut out the membership card which will be printed at the bottom of an acknowledgement letter. A credit card size plastic holder will be provided so that the card will fit snugly into your wallet or credit card holder. The SARL Administrator expects that she will be starting to mail the cards towards the end of this week.
The SARL thanks all members who have so promptly paid their 2007/2008 membership fees. An additional reminder invoice will be mailed to members who may have mislaid their invoice and who have not yet remitted.
If you are not a member yet, it is now a good time to join. The membership fee is less than R6 per week or R305 per year for full members. Seniors over 65 years of age pay R184 per year with an additional discount of 20% for this financial year putting it at R147.
CONTEST NEWS
THE BOLAND ARC 40-METRE CONTEST
This is a fun activity to promote contacts on 40 metres between radio amateurs in Southern African countries and will be on the air on Sunday 22 July from 15:00 to 18:00 CAT. The exchange is a RS report and postal code. Only wire antennas and a maximum output of 100 watt may be used.
Contacts with Southern African stations are worth 1 point. The Boland ARC club station, ZS1BAK, will be activated and a contact with this station counts 5 points, only one contact is allowed. Log sheets shall be submitted within 15 days after the contest and can be sent by e-mail to zs1bak@mailbox.co.za or by snail mail to BARK, PO Box 2105, Dennesig, 7601.
The contest committee for the SARL Digital Contest has only received five logs and it has been decided to extend the closing date to Monday 23 July 2007. Log submissions can be sent by e-mail to zs6bne@nwinternet.za.org or by normal mail to The Lichtenburg ARC, Box 410, Lichetenburg, 2740. Remember the winner of this competition will receive a Yaesu VX-2R Handheld.
CLUB NEWS
PEARS to provide radio communications.
The annual Volkswagen Rally (one in the series of national events) will take place on 20 and 21 July, in the general area of Port Elizabeth, Uitenhage and Jeffreys Bay. Some of the special stages will be run in the Longmore Plantation near Loerie in the Gamtoos Valley, and these have tremendous spectator appeal, with stones and dirt flying in all directions.
As usual, the Port Elizabeth Amateur Radio Society will provide radio communications for rally control and the passing of stage times - PEARS has been associated with this event for close on twenty years. Besides serving to sharpen the operating skills of members, it is also tremendous fun, and is one of the highlights of PEARS' annual calendar of events.
PROPAGATION REPORT
Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the expected solar activity will be at low to very low levels. The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet in general while reaching active levels on 19 July. The expected Effective Sun Spot number for the coming week will be less than 15. 20 m and 40 m will provide best opportunities for DX. There is a possibility of 20 m openings towards India from about 15:30 CAT. 20 m may open briefly at 08:00 to Australia and 40 m from 18:00. From 17:00 there may be a 20 m opening towards Europe. At about 16:00 short 20 m openings towards the West Coast of the USA are possible. Otherwise contacts to the USA are going to be very challenging. For the CW and digital enthusiasts it will also be worth monitoring 10 MHz.
Locally 40 m is going to be the band to be on during day time and 80 m after sunset. It is once again time to work towards your 80 m WAZS award in the evenings. Remember that HF always has the capability to surprise you. You will never know what you are missing unless you switch your rig on, listen and also call CQ.
Please visit www.spaceweather.co.za for further information.
DIARY OF EVENTS
22 July – Boland ARC 40 m Contest;
5 August – SARL HF Phone contest;
15 August - Last day to submit synopsis of proposed papers for SA AMSAT Space Conference;
23 August - Class B RAE;
6 October - SA AMSAT Space Conference;
18 October - Class A RAE.
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 17 695 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 sponsor the ARMI transmissions on the non-amateur frequencies.
Today's South African Radio League news bulletin was compiled by Roger, ZR3RC, and transmitted by (your name and call sign)
Thank you for listening. 73
/EX
