SARL NEWS SUNDAY 16 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:
NOMINATION FOR NOKIA-SIEMENS NETWORKS AWARDS INVITED
RESULTS OF THE SARL HF FIELD DAY
CAPE RTA WELL RECEIVED
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more detail on these and other important and interesting news items.
NOMINATION FOR NOKIA-SIEMENS NETWORKS AWARDS INVITED
The South African Radio Development Trust invites nominations for the 2008 radio amateur awards sponsored by Nokia-Siemens Networks. The technical award introduced last year has been renamed the Garth Milne Technology Award in recognition of the contributions the late Garth Milne made to the development of amateur radio satellites in South Africa. He was responsible for having amateur radio included in SUNSAT and facilitated the amateur payload on the soon to be launched SumbandilaSat. The Garth Milne Award recognises technical innovation in Amateur Radio.
The Nokia Siemens Networks Radio Amateur of the Year Award recognises a person for his or her contribution to the development of Amateur Radio and the Amateur Radio Community Service Award recognises a person or a group of persons who have rendered service to the community.
Full details and nomination forms are available on www.amateurradio.org.za or by requesting the documents by sending an email to saardt@intekom.co.za.
The closing date for nominations is 21 April 2008.
RADIO ZS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE - GREAT READ
The latest edition of Radio ZS is now available on line at www.sarl.org.za It is a great read. Dave Ingram, K4TWJ, writes about a QRP pen, an ingenious gimmick to impress your friends. Jan Botha, ZS4JAN, gives more advice on successful contesting. George Honiball, ZS6NE, points out how we should use the metric units. You can read all about museums, VHF mobile antenna performance and Automatic Link Establishment to mention some of the other articles.
To read it on line click on the members' button at the top right hand corner of the home page, enter your call sign, PIN and follow the links to download Radio ZS.
CAPE RTA WELL RECEIVED BUT ATTENDANCE BELOW EXPECTATION
The objective of the SARL Radio Technology symposium is to expose radio amateurs and electronic hobbyists to new technologies and developments in amateur radio and communication, which the programme achieves with a high standard of presentations on many subjects, that are cutting edge.
With so little general exposure to new technologies, one would have expected larger attendances. If you did not attend, drop us a line and tell us why so that we can address any concerns you may have for future RTA’s. Send an e-mail to armi@sarl.org.za. Feedback from most of the 40 delegates who attended was good.
The next two RTA’s are in Durban on 14 May and Port Elizabeth on 31 May. Watch the web for details.
RESULTS OF THE SARL HF FIELD DAY
The provisional results of the February leg of the SARL HF Field Day have been released. The committee received 14 logs and one check log. The results are as follows:
Multi Operator Field Station:
1st Sasolburg ARC, ZS4SRK - 71 420 points;
2nd Pretoria ARC, ZS6PTA - 39 888 points;
3rd West Rand ARC, ZS6WR - 26 552 points;
4th Hibiscus Coast ARC, ZS5HAC - 25 944 points;
5th Cape Town ARS, ZS1CT - 10 732 points;
6th Boland ARC, ZS1TB - 4 514 points.
Single Operator – Field Station:
1st Jan Botha, ZS4JAN - 55 440 points;
2nd Marthinus Herbst, ZS6MHH - 7 200 points;
3rd Andre v Deventer, ZS2BK - 6 816 points;
4th Christo vd Merwe, ZU4CM - 4 036 points.
General Stations:
1st Philip Esterhuizen, ZU4PE - 19 924 points;
2nd Theunis Potgieter, ZS2EC - 5 061 points;
3rd Pierre v Deventer, ZS6BQS - 4 560 points;
4th Dennis Green, ZS4BS - 2 898 points.
Check Log - Lichtenburg ARC, ZS6LRK.
2 METRE BEACON PROJECT
The two metre beacon project initiated by John Sygo, ZS6JON, now has four beacons on the air, with a number to go live very soon. The output of the beacons varies between 10 and 20 W. The keyers that have been donated by John, ZS6EF, work in two modes. Once the beacon has started up it keys the rig in FM and sends out the station’s call sign in CW followed by the grid locator. Then comes the same message in a keying FM format that enables operators with CW/SSB capabilities to receive the beacon. The message is then repeated continuously. The beacons you can listen out for are:
ZS6SRL, NARC on 144,405 MHz; ZS4AFV, Bloemfontein on 144,415 MHz; ZS5LEE, Durban on 144,420 MHz, and ZS1NAZ, Cape Town on 144,435 MHz. Reception reports can be posted to the ZSVHF mailing list and sent to the beacon custodians.
SARL NATIONAL CONVENTION
The organising committee would like to notify members that the closing date of 6 April for booking has to do with attendance figures for the catering at the various functions and has nothing to do with accommodation. Members must arrange their own accommodation. The function booking form and a list of accommodation is available on www.sarl.org.za or may be requested from zs4bs@netactive.co.za.
CLUB NEWS
A group of radio amateurs has established the Tshwane Amateur Radio Construction Group. The aim of this group is to assist all amateurs in constructing their own needs in the communications environment and any amateur may join. The only financial implication applicable will be for construction material, which will be utilised if not sponsored by the members. The next planned construction day will be on Saturday 22 March 2008 at 13:00 at the home of Len, ZS6LEN.
If you are interested in finding out about the construction of an 80 m antenna using 2 metre PVC pipe, some of the wife's aluminium foil and a few turns of coated copper wire, you can contact Len, ZS6LEN, at 012 345 4447 / 082 416 2598 or Whitey, ZS6JJJ, at 012 993 1167 / 082 416 7250.
The Kempton Park Amateur Radio Technical Society (KARTS) held its AGM on Saturday 8 March 2008. The following committee was elected:
Chairman - Clive Reeks, ZS6BT; Vice Chairman - Viv Dold, ZS6VD; Secretary - Theo Barkhuizen, ZS6KI and Finance - Paul Cornelius, ZS6PJC.
The Society also bid farewell to Hannes, ZS6LW, who will shortly be moving to New Zealand.
PROPAGATION REPORT
Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the expected solar activity will be very low. The geomagnetic field is expected to be mostly quiet. 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 15:00, there may be short 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
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 attendance booking 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 Conference;
21 April – Closing date Nokia-Siemens Network Awards.
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
