SARL NEWS SUNDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2008
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.
You can download this and previous bulletins from www.sarl.org.za and you can also subscribe there to receive future bulletins by email.
Your newsreader this morning is Hans, ZS6KR, on 145,725 and 7,066 MHz from Pretoria with relays on 28,325, 14,235, 10,130, 7,066 and 3,695 MHz SSB as well as 51,400, 438,825 and 1 296 MHz FM in the Pretoria area. (Other newsreaders please change to suit).
SILENT KEY
It is with regret that we have to announce that Piet, ZR6AUR, passed away on 26 Desember 2007 after a heart attack.
Our sincerest condolences to his relatives and friends.
(PAUSE)
In the news today:
LOCAL CLUB CHAIRMEN TO DISCUSS FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS AT RTA IN CAPE TOWN
TRUST APPOINTS NEW TRUSTEES
SARL SIMPLIFIES ZU CLASS RAE PROCUDURE FOR CLUBS
AMSAT NA PRESIDENT TO ADDRESS THE SA AMSAT SPACE SYMPOSIUM ON 19 APRIL
JOIN THE SARL AT HALF PRICE
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more detail on these and other important and interesting news items.
LOCAL CLUB CHAIRMEN TO DISCUSS FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS AT RTA IN CAPE TOWN
Local club chairmen will join SARL President Graham Hartlett, ZS6GJH, in an opening panel discussion at the RTA to be held in Cape Town on Saturday 8 March 2008.
Rassie Erasmus, ZS1YT, chairman of the Boland Amateur Radio Club, Fred Scheepers, ZS1FCS, chairman of Oakdale Amateur Radio Club, Len van Riel, ZS1LEN, chairman of the Overberg Radio Club and Dave Reece, ZS1DFR, Chairman Cape Town Amateur Radio Centre will discuss where in their opinion Amateur Radio will be going in the next 5 years. Support your local chairmen in this debate which promises to be insightful and interesting.
The RTA programme includes a number of exciting presentations demystifying state-of-the-art technology into useful information which will enhance your amateur radio activity.
Visit www.sarl.org.za, click on activities and select RTA to get the full programme, times and venue details.
TRUST APPOINTS NEW TRUSTEES
The South African Amateur Radio Development Trust has appointed two new Trustees to replace retiring members of the Board. The retirees are Tony Reumerman and Dr Pieter Rademeyer. The new Board members are Smangele Nkosi and Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP. The Board, in making the announcement at its meeting last Wednesday, thanked the retiring Board members for their support and service to Amateur Radio and welcomed the new Board members.
The SARL and SA AMSAT each have a member on the Board who are annually nominated by their respective organisations.
The Trust decided that one of the promotional themes for 2008 will be Software Defined Radio and expects to make tutorials and an introductory project available in kit form with full details downloadable from the web towards the end of April.
SARL SIMPLIFIES ZU CLASS RAE PROCEDURE FOR CLUBS
Following the first successful entry level (ZU) examination held by the Highway Amateur Radio Club last year, the SARL has applied the lessons learned which has resulted in a simplified procedure.
Clubs affiliated to the SARL are invited to arrange local examinations for the introductory level amateur Radio Licence as often as required. The procedure to be followed is available on the member pages of the SARL web at www.sarl.org.za. Select "members only" at the top right hand of the home pages and enter your callsign and PIN.
AMSAT NA PRESIDENT TO ADDRESS THE SA AMSAT SPACE SYMPOSIUM ON 19 APRIL
Through the use of modern technology the President of AMSAT North America, Rick Hambly, W2GPS, will deliver a paper about the new direction in amateur radio satellites and discuss some of the current projects. The conference is presented at the University of KwaZulu-Natal on 19 April. Early bird bookings open next week. Visit www.amsatsa.org.za for details and a registration form.
BRAND NEW SARL ELECTRONIC CALLBOOK PROGRAM FOR YOUR PC.
The SARL is pleased to announce to members that you can now download a brand new feature rich callbook application for your PC to replace the old version issued on stiffy disk some years ago.
The new program features a more friendly modernised user interface, more search and sorting options and extra content drawn from the Internet for those who have internet access. New to this program is a fully up to date list of repeaters.
The system also has the ability to automatically detect updates to the database and also the program itself using your internet connection. Once updates are detected the program can download and install them for you, so no more manual downloads.
For those who prefer to download the updates manually this option also exists.
Visit the SARL website, www.sarl.org.za, and on the callbook page click the Electronic Call book link in the left menu to download your copy today.
JOIN THE SARL AT HALF PRICE
If you have not been a member of the SARL before, or your membership lapsed several years ago, you can now join at half price and try out membership for the next few months. The cost for full members is only R170. By joining now you will automatically receive a renewal invoice at the end of May to continue your membership for the following year from 1 July 2008 till June 2009. Do it now and receive the next edition of Radio ZS and get access to the members' only section of the SARL web.
Full details on how to join can be found on www.sarl.org.za, click on membership or call Vee Antal, ZS6ZEN, at the office on weekdays between 09:00 and 13:00 on 011 675 2393. Joining the National Body for Amateur Radio is taking out an insurance policy to access to the amateur radio spectrum in years to come. Add your muscle to the SARL.
RF FREE ZONE FOR SKA
In last week's Amateur Radio Mirror International an interview with Andrew Tiplady of the SKA was transmitted explaining how the Astronomy Geographic Bill would be affecting users of the RF spectrum in areas where the SKA is being planned. The interview is now available on www.sarl.org.za, click on publications and select ARMI.
CLUB NEWS
OTL Radio Amateur club held their annual general meeting on Saturday 2nd February 2008.
The following members were elected to the committee:
David, ZS6VS – Chairman;
Nico, ZS6MAJ - Vice Chairman;
Gerrie, ZS6GDL – Secretary;
Len, ZR6LEN – Treasure.
Thanks to the retiring committee members and a pleasant term of duty to the new committee emebers.
The OTL repeater is on the Sentech tower outside Middelburg with the receive antenna at 180 m and the transmit antenna at 120 m above the ground. The frequency is 145,737 5 MHz. Three more linked repeaters are on the cards. Interested parties will be notified of the frequencies in due course.
PROPAGATION REPORT
Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the expected solar activity will be very low. The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet, increasing to unsettled levels till 13 February. The expected Effective Sun Spot number for the coming week will be less than 5. DX conditions will generally be good on the North-East and the North-West paths and poor in the general Northerly directions.
15 m and 20 m will provide best opportunities for DX. There is a possibility of 15 and 20 m openings towards India from about 14:00 CAT. There may be short, weak 20 m openings to Australia from 08:00. From 16:00 there may be short, weak 15 and 20 m openings towards Europe. From 19:00 there may be weak 15, 20 and 80 m openings towards the USA.
10 MHz is looking promising after dark for the CW and digital enthusiasts.
For the SARL Field Day local conditions are going to be good on 40 m during the day. 30 m may perform well over the longer distances. 80 m is the band of choice in the evenings, thunderstorms and static permitting!
Remember that this is only a prediction and that HF always has the capability to surprise you but you will never know unless you switch your rig on, listen and also call CQ.
Please visit www.spaceweather.co.za for further information.
DIARY OF EVENTS
9 and 10 February - SARL HF Field Day;
16 February - Closing date for nominations for SARL awards;
24 February - VHF/UHF Sprint;
8 March - RTA in Cape Town.
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 sponsors the ARMI transmissions on the non-amateur frequencies.
Today's South African Radio League news bulletin was compiled by Roger, ZR3RC.
Thank you for listening. 73.
/EX
