SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE
SARL NEWS SUNDAY 20 AUGUST 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, and 51,400 MHz as well as 438,825 and 1 297 MHz in the Pretoria area. (Other newsreaders please change to suit).
In the news today:
RADIO AMATEURS ONLY NEED A HAREC CERTIFICATE WHEN VISITING OVERSEAS
INTECNET ON 26 AUGUST TO LOOK AT SARL AWARDS
SA AMSAT SPACE SYMPOSIUM NOW ON THE WEB
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more detail on these and other important and interesting news items.
RADIO AMATEURS ONLY NEED A HAREC CERTIFICATE WHEN VISITING OVERSEAS
As announced two weeks ago, Amateurs who have passed the May class A examination will automatically receive a HAREC certificate as part of the Examination fee. There has however been a delay in sending out certificates due to a major printer breakdown. Please do not call the NARC, the certificates for October 2006 and May 2007 will be mailed as soon as the new printer has been installed and some of the other backed-up printing has been dealt with.
Amateurs who have the old RAE certificate do not have to ask for a new HAREC certificate unless they are travelling overseas. To apply for a replacement certificate you are required to send a copy of the current amateur radio license plus an admin fee of R50 to the SARL. The fee may be paid electronically. Proof of an electronic or bank transfer must accompany the application.
As the issuing of HAREC certificates was outsourced by ICASA to the SARL, the R50 admin fee applies to both members and non members. This replaces the previous procedure and comes into immediate effect.
INTECNET ON 26 AUGUST TO LOOK AT SARL AWARDS
WAZS, other awards and QSL-ing will come under the spotlight during the next Intecnet on 26 August 2007. The guest speaker will be SARL Awards Manager, Tjerk Lammers, ZS6P. INTECNET will be on the air on Sunday 26 August at 20:00 immediately after the President’s Net.
SA AMSAT SPACE SYMPOSIUM NOW ON THE WEB
The SA AMSAT Space Symposium programme is now available on the web at www.amsat.org.za. The symposium is part of Space Week 2007 and the celebration of the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957. It will be held at the NARC and the Sentech Conference Centre on 6 October 2007. There is a substantial discount for delegates who register early. To get regular updates on the symposium send an email to saamsat@intekom.co.za.
TAKE YOU HANDHELD TO WORK DAY
Friday 5 October is the 'SARL take your hand-held transceiver to work day'. The objective of the day is to create awareness of Amateur Radio amongst your colleagues and customers during lunch and tea breaks or at any other available time during that day.
The SARL will make posters available that you can print and display as well as approaching media to print news stories.
Clubs are invited to promote the day locally. Please send the SARL the names of the editors of local newspaper and community radio stations so that a media data base can be created to distribute information to local media. Look at your local papers and send the information to armi@sarl.org.za with media in the subject heading.
RAE
Please be advised that the next Class B exam will be held on the 23rd August 2007. The results of this exam will be published on the SARL web page on about 4th September 2007.
All clubs and Training centres are advised that the closing date for registration for the October Class A & B exams will be the 20th September 2007. The examination date will be 18th October 2007.
SARL MEMBERSHIP FEE DEPOSITS
A friendly request from the SARL treasurer is that members who py for their membership renewals by direct deposit in the SARL bank account is that they ensure that the reference on the SARL’s bank statement will indicate clearly who made the deposit. Your call sign should preferable be used as reference. Alternatively the deposit slip may be faxed to the office at 088 011 675 2793. Without this information your membership status may be shown incorrectly when the data base of the SARL is updated.
CONTEST NEWS
The results of the Durban ARC Mid-winter 80 metre sprint have been released. Jan, ZS4JAN, took first place with 90 points, followed by Dennis, ZS4BS, with 78 points and John, ZS5JF, with 74 points.
The provisional results of the Boland 40 Metre Contest have been issued. Theunis, ZS2EC, took first place with 97 points, second was Raoul, ZS1REC, with 85 points and Jan, ZS4JAN ,in third place with 74 points.
Brad, ZS5BG, achieved the highest score in Div 5 and Ruaan, ZS6RMS, achieved the highest score in Div 6. No log sheets were received from Div 3. The highest score from a neighbouring country was achieved by Jack, V51KC, who also achieved overall fourth place in the contest. 21 log sheets were received.
The overall winner receives a 2007 ARRL Antenna Handbook (issue 21) which was donated by Kobus, ZS1DC, a Boland ARC member. Certificates will be posted soon.
The Boland ARC thanks all participants of the contest.
Vidi, ZS1EL, has received a certificate from the ARRL for 6th place in the world in the 2006 ARRL 10 m contest, mixed mode, high power.
Barry, ZS2EZ has received a plaque from CQ Magazine for the Africa winner of the 2007 CQ WW WPX RTTY Contest. Barry operated as Single Operator, All Band, High Power.
Southern African stations did well during the 2006 CQ WW DX Phone Contest. In the Multi Two category, ZS9X made 6,9 million points and 3DA0WW made 4,9 million points. In the Multi Single category, ZS5ZZ made 238,854 points. In the Single operator category, V51W made 2,9 million points. Other participants in this category are ZS5NK, ZS1EL, ZS6BRZ and ZS1JY.
CLUB NEWS
MIDLANDS AMATEUR RADIO CLUB WILL ADVERTISE AMATEUR RADIO
The MIDLANDS AMATEUR RADIO CLUB, in conjunction with HAMNET, will be operating a radio station at the UNDERBERG FARMERS ASSOCIATION ANNUAL SHOW on Saturday, 1st September 2007 and Sunday morning, 2nd September 2007.
They will be operating under the call sign of the Midlands Amateur Radio Club ZS5PMB on the 40 m band and the 2 m Underberg repeater.
Please keep a look out for this station on those days and participate. It is a wonderful opportunity to promote Ham radio.
PROPAGATION REPORT
Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the expected solar activity will be at very low levels. The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet in general while reaching active levels on 25 August. The expected Effective Sun Spot number for the coming week will be less than 5.
20 m and 40 m will provide best opportunities for DX. There is a possibility of 20 m openings towards India from about 15:00 CAT. There may be weak 20 m openings to Australia from about 08:00. From 16:00 there may be 20 m openings towards Europe. For the early birds there is the possibility of weak 80 m openings towards the East Coast of the USA at about 04:00. 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 conditions on 40 m is going to be good for today's Lighthouses-on-the-Air event.
It is once again time to work towards your 80 m WAZS award in the evenings. Remember that this is only a prediction and 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
17 - 19 August - International Light House weekend;
23 August - Class B RAE;
1 September - SARL@HOME;
1 September – West Rand ARC Flea market;
1 – 2 September – Midlands Amateur Radio Club, ZS5PMB, operational at Underberg Farmers Association Annual Show;
20 September – Closing date for registering for October RAE;
4 - 10 October - Special space programme;
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 17 590 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 Gustav,ZS6BWN, and transmitted by (your name and call sign)
Thank you for listening. 73
/EX
