SARL NEWS – SUNDAY – 29 JUNE 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 transmitted every Sunday at 08:15 CAT in Afrikaans and at 08:30 CAT in English. To listen to a webstream 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 subscribe to receive future bulletins by e-mail.
Your newsreader this morning is (name), (call sign), 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 the news today:
RADIO AMATEURS INVITED TO PROVIDE COMMUNICATION FOR ‘BULL OF AFRICA’ RACE
ELECTRONIC TRANSFERS FOR SUBS – PLEASE IDENTIFY YOUR PAYMENT
SCI-BONO NEEDS A RADIO TOWER
INTECNET TONIGHT AT 19:30
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more detail on these and other important and interesting news items.
RADIO AMATEURS INVITED TO PROVIDE COMMUNICATION FOR ’BULL OF AFRICA‘ ADVENTURE RACE
In an earlier issue of this bulletin this event was referred to as a motor rally which is incorrect. Here follows the correct news item.
The ‘Bull of Africa’ is a multi-discipline outdoor adventure race, involving everything from mountain-biking, canoeing, hiking, rope-climbing and navigation from point-to-point. The race routes are planned through remote areas not normally seen by the general public. Teams and volunteers see parts of the country they would never have dreamed of.
The ‘Bull of Africa’ is seven-day, 570 km event. The world's top international teams will compete against our own teams, who have competed successfully in events around the world. Teams race non-stop and rest/sleep at their own discretion where and when they feel it is necessary. They have to pass through checkpoints en route and transition points where the disciplines change.
The ‘Bull’ this year, is to take place in the area around East London, starting on Saturday 9 August and ending on Saturday 16 August. Volunteers are asked to be available from 7 to 17 August, so that they can be deployed to their respective checkpoints. There will be 10 checkpoints on the race route that require communication back to HQ on a 24 hour basis. It is for these 10 points that Ian Jacobs, ZS6AIN, is looking to muster amateur radio teams to supply a communication network.
Duties are similar to those at motorsport rallies – just not so much dust or mud! This is a great opportunity to test your skills in setting up a radio station in remote places and maintaining communication for an extended period. Teams on the first legs of the route would not necessarily be there for the duration; once all the teams have passed a checkpoint, it will be stood down. Teams on the latter section will be required for the duration.
The organisers offer R100 per person per day to cover sustenance, free camping at Areena caravan and holiday resort in East London for the start and finish, cost of meal at the prize-giving for all volunteers on the evening of 16 August, a free T-shirt bearing ‘Bull’ logo and petrol costs by the most direct route to EL from home and return.
This invitation is open to all licensed radio amateurs. The success of the event will depend much on amateur radio support. Contact Ian Jacobs, ZS6IAN, email address cherian@iburst.co.za or call him on 083 650 9289.
ELECTRONIC TRANSFERS FOR SUBS – PLEASE IDENTIFY YOUR PAYMENT
The SARL office has received a large number of subscriptions paid into the bank account without any identification. When paying fees electronically, banks offer a facility to send a fax or e-mail to the beneficiary. Please use this facility to ensure that the office can allocate the monies received to the correct account. If you are paying the subs over the counter, please fax the deposit slip to the SARL as soon as possible. The fax number of the SARL is 088 011 675 2793. The email address is admin@sarl.org.za.
SCI-BONO NEEDS A RADIO TOWER
Sci-Bono runs various projects aimed at the promotion of amateur radio in schools. Over the next few years many teachers and learners, particularly those from economically disadvantaged communities, will be learning about and using amateur radio. The projects range from training teachers and learners to become radio amateurs, to developing an amateur radio project that will be taught in schools as part of the new electronics curriculum. During 2007, over 56 000 school children visited the centre and were exposed to amateur radio.
Sci-Bono is currently completing the new phase 2 building to the east of the main exhibition hall. A radio tower will be mounted on the roof of the new building with new antennas that will greatly enhance operation from the Amateur Radio exhibit.
Radio amateurs and their companies are invited to become part of the antenna tower project by making donations to the special amateur radio construction fund created by Sci-Bono. As Sci-Bono is a registered non-profit educational organisation and registered as a Section 18A educational fund, all donations to Sci-Bono are tax deductible. A tax certificate will be issued for each donation. Donations can be paid in to Standard Bank, branch code 00 02 05. The account number is 000 134 171. Please mark your payment ‘Amateur Radio’. Your support will go a long way to promote amateur radio to the youth in Gauteng.
INTECNET TONIGHT AT 19:30
At the recent ‘Radio Technology-in-Action’ symposiums there was an urgent call that the SARL investigate kits to introduce young people to electronics and amateur radio. In tonight's Intecnet the discussion will focus on kits. What is available, and what would be most suitable? Join us on a repeater near you or on the webcast or echolink. For details visit www.sarl.org.za, select ‘publications’ and click on ARMI.
BACAR MEETING 12 July 2008
The next BACAR meeting will be held at the NARC at 11:00 on 12 July at the SARL National Amateur Radio Centre. The main purpose of the meeting is to configure and test the various sub-systems.
If you are planning to be part of the launch in early August, it is important to attend this meeting. The launch will take place from the Irene Weather Station.
CONTEST NEWS
SARL PSK DIGITAL CONTEST
The SARL PSK Digital contest is scheduled for today from 15:00 to 18:00 (CAT).
The Lichtenburg Amateur Radio Club hosts this competition. Please send the logs to Eddie, ZS6BNE, email address zs6bne@nwinternet.za.org and not the one mentioned in the "Blue book" as it has been cancelled due to excessive spamming.
Get your station digitally ready with soundcard interface and software, and let's have a record number of stations taking part this weekend.
The competion frequencies are: on HF, 3,580 MHz, 7,035 MHz and 14,070 MHz and on VHF and UHF they are: 50,290 MHz, 144,144 MHz and 432,200 (??) MHz all on upper sideband. A SARL Digital Competition forum will be created on the SARL Web Forum. This contest is only for single operator stations. The categories are: Low power, 10 W or less, and High power – more than 10 W – and Single band or All bands.
Reports are RS and a three-digit serial number starting from 001, for example, 59001. Scoring is as follows: Same division, 2 Points; Different division or Southern African country, 4 Points; outside Southern Africa, 1 Point. Note that contact can be made on different bands with the same station. Multipliers are for each call-area per band, 1 point. The total score is the sum of all band scores. The closing date for log submissions is 14 July 2008.
DURBAN ARC MID-WINTER SPRINT
The Durban ARC Mid-Winter Sprint is on the air on Wednesday evening 2 July from 19:00 to 20:00 CAT with phone, CW and PSK activity on the 80 metre band. The exchange is a RS or RST report and the operator's age.
Log sheets must be submitted within 15 days after the contest and can be sent by e-mail to zs5lp@sharksden.co.za or by snail-mail to Durban Amateur Radio Club, 17 Brownlee Place, Bluff, Durban, 4052. The closing date for log submissions is 17 July 2008.
CLUB NEWS
The Antique Wireless Association, AWA, in partnership with the "Friends of the Museum", have organised an "Open Day" at Swartkops Airbase in Pretoria on Saturday 05 July 2008. The AWA-Saturday net on 7 070 will be run from this location and anyone interested in having a morning out is welcome to attend.
Enjoy a day out with the family and watch classic aircraft taking off and landing, see the static displays of aircraft and visit the radio museum. Participants in the Silver Queen Air Race will also touch down at Swartkops as part of their route.
Anyone wishing to attend must please contact Cliff, ZS6BOX, on 082 898 9772 or Dave, ZS6AAW, on 012 667 2153, as your car registration, name and number of people attending have to be given beforehand to gain access to the airbase. This will also help with catering, as there will be boerewors rolls, etc. available.
At the AGM of the Boland Amateur Radio Club held on 21 June, a new committee was elected with Johan le Roux, ZS1RX, as Chairman and Karl Canitz, ZS1KC, as Secretary.
PROPAGATION REPORT
Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the expected solar activity will be very low. The geomagnetic field is expected to be mostly at quiet levels rising to active levels on 12 and 13 July. 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.
20 m will provide best opportunities for DX. There is a possibility of weak 20 m openings towards India from about 15:00 CAT. Contacts with Australia will be very challenging. From 08:00 and again at 17:00 there may be 20 m openings towards Europe. Contacts with the USA are going to be very challenging.
10 MHz is looking promising late the afternoon and after dark for the CW and digital enthusiasts.
Local conditions are going to be good on 40 m during the daytime. 80 m may perform well during the mornings and late afternoons over shorter distances. 30 m may perform well during the middle of the day over longer distances.
80 m is the frequency of choice in the evenings, especially now that the majority of thunderstorms and static is behind us. 160 m will also perform well during the evenings. It is now a very good time to make a plan with a 160 m antenna, if you haven't got one up already, to experience the thrills and spills of working topband.
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
29 June – SARL Digital Contest;
2 July – Durban ARC mid winter sprint;
5 July – AWA at the Swartkops Open Day;
6 July – Deadline for submission of VHF-/UHF-/Microwave records;
12 July – Bacar Meeting.
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 webstream 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
