SARL NEWS – SUNDAY – 20 JUly 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).
SILENT KEYS
It is with regret that SARLNEWS has learnt that two radio amteurs became silent key recently. They are:
Gawie Neethling, ZS1WH, on Wednesday 9 July.
Louis de Wet, ZR6AA, on Thursday 17 July due to cardiac arrest in the age of 73 years.
Our sincere condolence to the relatives and friends of the deceased.
(PAUSE).
In the news today:
PRETORIA AMATEUR RADIO CLUB OFFERS FLEA MARKET EXTRAS FOR THE LADIES AND THE LATEST ARRL BOOKS FOR THE GENTLEMEN
MORE RADIO AMATEURS NEEDED FOR BULL OF AFRICA RACE
PRESIDENT’S NET TO FOCUS ON SARL HF CONTESTS
INTO SPACE WITH AMATEUR RADIO
WINNERS OF THE SARL YOUTH SPRINT
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more detail on these and other important and interesting news items.
PRETORIA AMATEUR RADIO CLUB OFFERS FLEA MARKET EXTRAS FOR THE LADIES AND THE LATEST ARRL BOOKS FOR THE GENTLEMEN
The flea market hosted by the Pretoria Amateur Radio Club on Saturday 26 July will include special attractions for the ladies. A number of ladies will offer home-made and other items of interest. Bring your partner to the flea market. Contact Michelle, ZS6TO, at 083 533 8719 for details if you would like to offer items for sale. There also is a lucky draw.
The South African Amateur Radio Development Trust has just unpacked a consignment of ARRL handbooks, ARRL Antenna Handbooks and a few other books of interest. This is the last consignment for this year. Don't miss the opportunity to get the latest books. Tjerk Lammers, ZS6P, will look after the sales. The profits made on the books will go to the newly created Trust Study Grant fund which will support young licensed radio amateurs who will enter tertiary education in communications and electronics for the first time in 2009. For details of the study grant scheme or how to contribute visit www.amateurradio.org.za.
MORE RADIO AMATEURS NEEDED FOR BULL OF AFRICA RACE
The Bull of Africa event is a multi-discipline outdoor sport involving everything from mountain biking, canoeing, hiking; rope climbing, abseiling and navigation from point to point. The race routes are planned through remote areas not seen by the general public and teams and volunteers see parts of the country they would never have dreamed existed.
More Radio Amateurs are needed for this seven-day (570km) event where the world's top international teams will be competing against our own teams. Teams race non-stop and rest/sleep at their own discretion where and when they feel it is necessary.
The Bull this year is to take place in the area around East London, starting Saturday 9 August and ending Saturday 16 August. Volunteers are, however, asked to be available from 7 to 17 August so that they can be deployed to their respective points. There will be 10 points on the race route that require communication back to HQ on a 24-hour basis.
The duties are very much the same as those at motor sport rallies - just not so much dust or mud! This as a great opportunity to test skills in setting up 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 CP 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 prize giving for all volunteers (evening 16 August), free T shirt bearing the "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. He needs your support right now. If you would like to have an experience of a lifetime, call him today.
PRESIDENT’S NET TO FOCUS ON SARL HF CONTESTS
Join SARL President Rassie Erasmus, ZS1YT, on Sunday 20 July, that is tonight, on the President’s Net. In addition to his report back on events over the past 6 weeks, he will be joined by Dennis Green, ZS4BS, to discuss the SARL HF Contests which will take place on 3 and 31 August.
The President’s Net starts at 19:30 on a repeater near you and will be transmitted on 3 718 kHz by Marten du Preez, ZS6ZY, and streamed by Chris, ZS6FCS, on the internet and echolink. Visit www.sarl.org.za for details.
INTO SPACE WITH AMATEUR RADIO
Every year, 4-10 October is set aside for World Space Week, a celebration of space activity to acquaint the youth with the importance of space in our daily lives. The theme for World Space Week 2008 is "Exploring the Universe". This theme encourages participants to reflect on space as the next frontier. Exploration can take many forms, from scientific discovery to human colonisation.
Amateur Radio has a proud space tradition with the first amateur satellite launched only 3 years after the Russian Sputnik 1. The South African Radio League (SARL) and the Southern Africa Amateur Radio Satellite Association (SA AMSAT) have joined forces with the South African Amateur Radio Development Trust to provide opportunities for South African youth to get involved in World Space Week activities.
By setting up amateur radio stations at various schools around South Africa, the main thrust will be a national link-up and an opportunity to engage with people who have already been in space. To qualify and to be selected for the event learners have to take part in an essay competition.
Learners under the age of 18 are invited to write an essay on "Man's habitation of the moon: can Amateur Radio play a role?"
Amateur Radio gave Radio to the world as its first global communication system; can it also play a role in the habitation of the moon?
By writing an essay of between 500 and 1 000 words entrants enter into the draw to take part in the national amateur radio link-up. In addition every entrant will compete for one of many prizes which include:
The writer of the most creative and insightful essay will win a state of the art Acer Aspire One notebook computer. The Aspire One is more than just another ultra-mobile notebook: it's an all-new communication device designed to deliver continuous access to the internet and a simplified wireless experience. Read more about the prize on www.amateurradio.org.za. Other prizes include Norton 360 and Smartphone security software from Symantec, plus a number of radio constructions kits, including lightning predictor and 40 metre direct conversion receiver kits.
Every entrant will receive a colourful certificate marking their participation in the International Space Week. Visit www.amateurradio.org.za for details as they become available.
WINNERS OF THE SARL YOUTH SPRINT
Congratulations to all the participants in the SARL Youth Day sprint, Certificates are on their way. The following were winners in the lucky draw and will receive their prizes in the mail soon: Francois Herbst, Byron Engler, ZR5KH, Denise Gray and Hugo Coetzee, ZU 3H.
CONTEST NEWS
Results of the SARL Digital Contest.
The contest committee reports that not many logs were received for the Digital Contest, but, there were in excess of 30 stations on the air. The category winners are:
Single band low power - Johan Terblanche, ZS1I, 140 points;
Single band high power - Johan van Aarde, ZS2I, 290 points;
All band low power - Tienie Herbst, ZS6MHH, 52 points;
All band high power - Pierre van Deventer, ZS6BQS, 368 points.
The full results will be published in HF Happenings 312.
SARL Top Band Contest.
The results of the SARL Top Band Contest were corrected following two appeals. The corrected results are:
1st Gary Immelman, ZS6YI, 366 points;
2nd Ed Willers, ZS6UT, 294 points;
3rd Jacques Vermeulen, ZS1WC, 228 points.
The complete results were published in HF Happenings 311.
Boland ARC 40 Metre Contest.
The annual Boland ARC 40 metre phone contest will be run on Sunday 27 July starting at 15:00 CAT and ending 3 hours later. The exchange is call sign, RS report and postcode.
Letsplay Radio is sponsoring a Yaesu VX3 HT that can be won by a participant in this contest. All log sheets with 20 or more contacts will be entered for the lucky draw.
SARL HF Phone Contest.
The SARL HF Phone Contest will be on the air on Sunday 3 August from 15:00 to 18:30 CAT. Listen to the President’s Net this evening to find out more.
CLUB NEWS
New Club Committees.
Two amateur radio clubs recently held their AGM’s where new committees were elected for the forthcoming year, they are:
The Zululand Amateur Radio Club, held their AGM on the 13th July 2008 in Richards Bay. Their committee members are:
Chairman: John Kramer ZS5J;
Vice Chairman: Jan Erasmus ZS5G;
Treasurer: Willie Axford ZS5WI;
Secretary and News Editor: Dawn Snyders ZR5ME.
Members: Andrew Jansen, ZR5MH;
Warren Snyders, ZR5WOZ;
Thys Janse van Rensburg, ZR5TVR.
The 60th AGM of the West Rand Amateur Radio Club was held on the 5th July. Their committee comprises the following members:
Chairman, Joop Hesp, ZS6C;
Vice Chairman, Geoff Levey, ZS6GRL;
Secretary, John Brock;
Finance, Craig Woods, ZS6CRW;
Repeater Maintenance, Phillip van Tonder, ZS6PVT;
Technical, Ron Eva, ZR6RON;
Members, Remeo Nardini, ZS6ARQ;
Willem Weideman, ZS6WWJ.
Many thanks to the retiring members of the previous committees and strength is wished to the newly elected committees for the work ahead.
PROPAGATION REPORT
Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the expected solar activity will be very low. The geomagnetic field is expected to be mostly at active levels. 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 16:00 CAT. There is the possibility of weak 40 and 80 m openings to New Zealand at 18:00. Otherwise contacts with Australia and New Zealand will be very challenging. From 17:00 there may be 20 m openings towards Europe. Contacts with the USA are going to be very challenging except for short 20 m openings at 16:00.
10 MHz looks promising late afternoons and after dark for the CW and digital enthusiasts.
Local conditions are going to be good on 40 m during the day time. 80 m may perform well during the mornings and late afternoons over the shorter distances. 30 m may perform well right at the middle of the day over the 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.
Please visit www.spaceweather.co.za for further information.
DIARY OF EVENTS
20 July – Presidents Net, that is tonight at 19:30;
26 July – Pretoria Flea Market;
27 July – Boland 40 m competition;
3 August - SARL HF Phone Contest.
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 George, ZS6NE.
Thank you for listening. 73.
/EX
