SARL NEWS SUNDAY 20 APRIL 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 (name), (callsign), 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:
GAIN TWO MONTHS' FREE SARL MEMBERSHIP BY JOINING NOW
PRESIDENT'S NET TODAY AT 19:00
ILLEGAL HANDHELDS?
INTERNATIONAL MARCONI DAY EVENT IS APRIL 26
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more detail on
these and other important and interesting news items.
GAIN TWO MONTHS' FREE SARL MEMBERSHIP BY JOINING NOW
Join the SARL now and get May and June free of charge. All
applications for membership submitted now will be charged at
the discounted rate of R305 and will cover membership till
30 June 2009. Application forms are available on the web at
www.sarl.org.za. Download it now and follow the payment
details on the form and on the web page. If you need
assistance call Vee on 011 675 2393 Mondays to Fridays
between 08:30 and 13:00.
The special membership fee for members over 65 is R230 and
with a 20% rebate it is only R184 receiving May and June
membership free of charge.
PRESIDENT'S NET TODAY AT 19:00
Join Graham Hartlett, ZS6GJH, the outgoing President of the
SARL and Rassie Erasmus, ZS1YT, the newly elected President
for the President's Net this evening at 19:00. Clubs
wishing to book a link should send an Email to
armi@sarl.org.za before noon today. There will be no
Intecnet this evening. The Intecnet will return in May.
Watch this space for details.
CONTEST NEWS
This afternoon from 14:00 to 16:00 CAT you can take part in
the Autumn QRP Sprint on the 40 metre band. You can
participate as a Portable or Fixed Station using CW or phone
or Mixed. Power output is 5 watt or 1 watt or 100
milliwatt. The exchange is a RS or RST report and the year
first licensed. Only wire antennas may be used. Each
contact counts 2 points, each prefix worked counts 2 points
then multiply the QSO score with the prefix score and
multiply with the power multiplier: 5 watt x 1, 1 watt x 5
or 100 milliwatt x 10.
Log sheets shall be submitted within 15 days after the
contest and can be sent by email to
hfcontests@netactive.co.za or by snail mail to The Contest
Committee, PO Box 12 104, Brandhof, 9324. The closing date
is 5 May 2008.
INTERNATIONAL MARCONI DAY EVENT IS APRIL 26
(Summarised from ARRL News)
Special event stations will be on the air Saturday, April 26
(UTC), to mark International Marconi Day (IMD), a 24-hour
Amateur Radio event commemorating the birth of wireless
pioneer Guglielmo Marconi on April 25, 1874.
Participants can qualify for awards by making contacts on
160 through 10 meters (CW, SSB and digital) with designated
IMD stations operating on or near a site where Marconi
carried out experiments or where Marconi equipment was used
prior to his death in 1937.
More information on International Marconi Day can be found
on the IMD Web site . The IMD
Web site has a list of IMD 2008 award stations
.
CLUB NEWS
FROM PEARS
Eighteen members of the Port Elizabeth Amateur Radio Society
were involved in providing communications for the "Eastern
Cape 500 Off-Road Race" which took place on 18 and 19 April
in the general area of Port Elizabeth, much of it in the
Longmore Forest. The event was organized by the Algoa
Motorsport Club, who also organises the annual VW Rally, for
which PEARS has been providing the communications ever since
its inception in the mid 1980's.
This event is one of the national series in the sponsored
ABSA National Off-Road Championship. There were something
like 45 competitors, including a few international entrants.
FROM KEMPTON PARK
The Kempton Park Amateur Radio Technical Society (KARTS)
will have a Special Event station with the club's callsign
of ZS6KTS from 1 to 3 May 2008 in the Potchefstroom
district. The station will be on the air from 08:00 - 22:00
using SSB in the 40 m and 20 m band. QSO's will be
acknowledged via the Electronic QSL system of the league.
ILLEGAL HANDHELDS?
What follows is an extract from this week's WIANews which
shows what is happening on amateur radio spectrum; radio
amateurs, be on the alert, it can happen here or anywhere.
"It was no laughing matter when signals popped up on 70 cm
band during the recent Melbourne Comedy Festival.
Staff of a security company were equipped with imported
Chinese made hand-held radios. They believed the radios
were CB radios and okay to use for communications on the
streets of Central Melbourne.
The ACMA acted quickly on reports of the intruders and was
taking appropriate action to ensure compliance with the
Radiocommunications Act.
The fear among the amateur radio community is that this
incident could be just the start of many more commercial
uses of similar radios. That fear comes amid reports of
another intrusion on the 70 cm for valet parking at a major
Melbourne entertainment complex.
It's important that radio amateurs let the ACMA get on with
its job of investigation and enforcement.
Attempts to engage in on air discussion with the intruders
may be a breach of our amateur licence conditions, but can
also frustrate ACMA investigations if the offender goes
QSY".
PROPAGATION REPORT
Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the expected solar
activity will be very low. The geomagnetic field is
expected to be mostly quiet from 23 till 25 April when major
storm levels are expected. The expected Effective Sun Spot
number for the coming week will be less than 5.
DX conditions will generally be good to the North and poor
in the general North-Westerly 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. Conditions to Australia will be very
challenging. From 16:00 there may be good 10, 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 day
time. 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
20 April - The Autumn QRP Sprint.
20 April - President's Net tonight;
26 April - International Marconi Day;
5 May - Logsheets for the Autumn QRP Sprint to be in.
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.
George, ZS6NE, compiled today's South African Radio League
news bulletin.
Thank you for listening. 73.
/EX
