SARL NEWS SUNDAY 9 MARCH 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 visit www.sarl.org.za, click on ARMI and follow the links for details. PLEASE NOTE! For audio via Echolink, connect to ZS0JPL-R.
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).
In today's SARL News:
NEW MAILING LIST FOR SATELLITE ENTHUSIASTS
TINUS LANGE 7066 TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS
RADIO ZS IN THE POST
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more detail on these and other important and interesting news items.
NEW MAILING LIST FOR SATELLITE ENTHUSIASTS
After the success of the ZSVHF mail reflector system, a similar system has been established for Southern African satellite enthusiasts.
ZS-SAT is a mailing list for Southern African Amateur Radio operators to share information, ask advice and arrange operating schedules regarding both LEO and HEO satellites carrying Amateur Radio payloads. Anything to do with Amateur satellites will be welcome on this list!
To subscribe to the list, simply visit http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/zs-sat and fill in the relevant data. If you experience any problems with subscribing just send an email to mailgroups@zs2ez.co.za and the administrator will subscribe you! There are no "account" signups to subscribe to like Yahoo and Google, and no spam is permitted - only subscribed users are allowed to post to the list! Subscriber’s addresses are not used for any other purpose!
TINUS LANGE 7066 TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS
Nominations are invited for theTinus Lange 7066 Technical Excellence Award and Tinus Lange 7066 Junior Technical Excellence Award. These awards are bestowed annually on the persons who submit a technical project in any of the following categories:
a. Design and/or construction of projects such as a pre-amp, SWR bridge, patching unit, automatic ID-er, practical antenna ideas, mast, portable gear, power supplies etc.
OR
b. Any software for use in Amateur Radio.
The submission must include the following: - the actual items (if size and mass allows it) or photographs (particularly in the case of antennas/mast etc) and a complete write-up in article form with illustrations/pictures ready for publication in Radio ZS.
The actual artefact and the supporting documentation - i.e. a press ready article for Radio ZS plus any other documents - and be delivered to the NARC not later than 31 March 2008. All entries will be displayed (where practical, otherwise photographs) at the AGM and the awards will be presented at the annual dinner. The two awards made are the Junior Technical Achievement Award (Under 25 years of age), a framed certificate and a cash award of R350, and the Technical Achievement Award, a framed certificate and a cash award of R350.
SARL NATIONAL CONVENTION AND AGM ARE NOT TO BE MISSED
Have you booked for the SARL National Convention yet? During the weekend of 11 to 13 April, all roads will lead to Bloemfontein for the SARL National Convention and AGM. The AGM papers are now available on the web as well as the full convention programme and registration documents. To download the AGM documents go to www.sarl.org.za, click on members only button at the top right hand corner of the home page. This will open the members' only home page. Click on more on the AGM news item and download the PDF document. The proxy form can be downloaded separately.
Members, who have opted for the printed version, watch your mailbox it will reach you soon. To book for the National Convention follow the new item which will also be on the home page. It contains a link to a list of bed & breakfast and other accommodation options. The closing date for bookings is Sunday 6 April 2008.
RADIO ZS IN THE POST
The January/February 2008 issue of Radio ZS was mailed on Friday afternoon and the electronic version has been sent to the SARL web for uploading, it should be available early this week.
In his Ham Pride column, Dave Ingram, K4TWJ, discusses his QRP Pen, a miniature radio in the body of a pen that works and George Honiball, ZS6NE tells us more about the correct use of Metric Units. Are you radio club activities on the decline? Read what Wayne Green, W2NSD, has to say about “How to build a great Ham Club.” Eddie Leighton, ZS6BNE, tells more about Automatic Link Establishment or ALE, a new digital mode and Dan Richardson, K6MHE, discusses VHF Mobile Antenna Performance, this article will get you thinking about antenna placement on you car. Jan Botha, ZS4JAN, has some pointers about HF Contesting, there are the regular Museum and Scouting columns and the second “Future of Space” essay is featured.
SA AMSAT SPACE COMMUNICATION PROGRAMME
SA AMSAT has published its 2008 Space Communication programme on the web. Read it on www.amsatsa.org.za. The symposium will be held on 19 April 2008 at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban campus, another event not to be missed.
CONTEST NEWS
SARL VHF/UHF CONTEST
The first leg of the SARL VHF/UHF Contest will be run from 10:00 UTC or 12:00 CAT on Saturday 15 March to 10:00 UTC or 12:00 CAT on Sunday 16 March 2008. Participation can be as a fixed station, a portable or field station or a limited category station. Activity takes place on 6, 4 and 2 metres, 70 and 23 cm and higher using FM, SSB, CW and digital modes. The exchange is call signs, signal reports and a six-digit grid locator.
Get yourself or your club station ready for this contest and try out different modes on the VHF/UHF frequencies. The rules are available in the 2008 SARL Contest Manual available on www.sarl.org.za.
SARL 80 METRE QSO PARTY
The first leg of the SARL 80 Metre QSO Party will take place on Thursday evening 3 April 2008 from 19:00 to 22:00 CAT.
CLUB NEWS
The Kempton Park Amateur Radio Technical Society wil present a course for the Class B RAE preparing for the May exam. Interested parties are welcome to register for this exam. If there is enough interest, they will also present the class A RAE. The starting date is 12 April 2008. Please contact Viv Dold, ZS6VD, on 083 327 9181 or Clive Reeks, ZS6BT, on 082 466 2064.
The Overberg Amateur Radio Club will have their AGM at the HMO in Hermanus on 15 March 2008.
The Oakdale ARC, ZS1OAK, held their AGM during February. The following members have been elected to the committee:
Fred Scheepers, ZS1FCS – Chairman; Paul Allen, ZR1PJA - Vice Chairman, Dirk Du Plessis, ZS1DDP - Secretary and Treasurer and members Gerald Meneses, ZS1GRM; Henk van der Pol, ZS1VDP; Eddie Dry, ZS1EJD; Dave Perry, ZS1SG; Sean White, ZS1BSD; Herby Evans, ZR1ABV; Dick Busby, ZS1AQD and Bernie Crockford, ZS1BW.
At the recent AGM of the Lichtenburg Amateur Radio Club (LARK) the following new committee was elected to office for this year:
Evan Davies, ZS6EVD – Chairman; Kobus Roos, ZS6RPJ – Treasurer; Hannetjie Marnewick, ZR6BMM – Secretary and Jerry Van Zijl, ZS6BTL – Organiser. The incoming committee would like to thank Eddie Leighton, ZS6BNE, the outgoing chairman, and his committee for all the hard work that they put in to bring the club to where it is today.
PROPAGATION REPORT
Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the expected solar activity will be very low. The geomagnetic field is expected to reach unsettled to active levels. The expected Effective Sun Spot number for the coming week will be less than 5. DX conditions will generally be good on the Northeast 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. Contacts with the USA are going to be very challenging. 10 MHz is looking promising after dark for the CW and digital enthusiasts.
Local conditions are going to be good on 40 m during the daytime. 30 m may perform well during the middle of the day over the longer distances. 80 m is the frequency 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
15 March - Overberg ARC AGM;
15 and 16 March SARL VHF/UHF Contest;
31 March - Closing date for first stage of 2008 construction competition;
31 March - Closing date for nominations for the Tinus Lange awards;
3 April – SARL 80 Metre QSO Party;
6 April – Last day for booking accommodation for SARL AGM;
11 to 13 April - SARL AGM in Bloemfontein;
12 April – Kempton Park ARC RAE classes commence;
15 April – Overberg ARC AGM;
19 April – SA Amsat 2008 Space Communication.
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 ZS0JPL-R 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.
Dennis, ZS4BS, compiled today's South African Radio League news bulletin.
Thank you for listening. 73.
/EX
