SARL NEWS - SUNDAY - 27 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).
In the news today:
INTERNATIONAL YL MEET TO BE HELD IN SOUTH AFRICA
INTECNET ON 17 AUGUST IS NOT TO BE MISSED
IF YOU HAVE NOT PAID YOUR SUBSCRIPTION, DO IT NOW TO QUALIFY FOR DISCOUNTED RATES
SOME BIG PRIZES ARE BEING LINED UP FOR THE RTA ON 13 SEPTEMBER
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more detail on these and other important and interesting news items.
INTERNATIONAL YL MEET TO BE HELD IN SOUTH AFRICA
An International YL Meet is scheduled to be held in South Africa during October 2008 when YLs and their partners will be arriving from Japan, Korea, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Canada, Australia and France. The tour starts on 3 0ctober 2008 at Lesedi Cultural Village at the Cradle of Mankind. From there they will visit the Pilanesberg National Park and on 6 October travel to Durban and Cape Town. Janet Musto, ZS5JAN, and Vee Antal, ZS6ZEN, were appointed as Organisers of the International YL Meet South Africa 2008 at the International YL Meet held in India last year.
Local radio amateurs are invited to join the international group at various points during their tour of South Africa. There is a gala dinner at Lesedi on 4 October. In Durban the group will visit the Barnyard Theatre at Gateway to see the show Dancing Queen on 12 October and in Cape Town on 17 October, locals can join the visitors for dinner at the Breakwater Lodge.
For details and to book contact: Vee, ZS6ZEN, fax 088 011 675 2793 for the Johannesburg and Cape Town events and Janet, ZS5JAN, on 082 321 1158 for the Durban event.
INTECNET ON 17 AUGUST IS NOT TO BE MISSED
The next Intecnet will be held on Sunday 17 August, entitled "When will ET be calling home?" Prof Paul Shuch, President of the SETI League, will be the guest speaker and he will look at the Search for extraterrestrial Intelligence with particular focus on how radio amateurs and shortwave listeners can participate. He is an extremely accomplished speaker and will keep the discussion going to well into the evening.
Clubs are urged to book a teleconference link early, and if they have not joined the network before, to make every effort to do so this time and treat their members to an exciting Sunday evening. The Intecnet starts at 19:30. To book a link, send an email to armi@sarl.org.za.
IF YOU HAVE NOT PAID YOUR SUBSCRIPTION, DO IT NOW TO QUALIFY FOR DISCOUNTED RATES
If you have not yet paid your subscription to the SARL, we urge you to do it now and enjoy the early payment discount. From 1 September the full subscription fee for the 2008/2009 year will be payable. Discounted subscriptions are available for members and senior members as well as affiliated clubs. The discounted rates are R305 for members and affiliated clubs and R184 for senior members. If you can't find your invoice, call Vee for details on 011 675 2393. The public office hours are Monday to Friday from 09:00-13:00.
SOME BIG PRIZES ARE BEING LINED UP FOR THE RTA ON 13 SEPTEMBER
If you have not yet marked 13 September in your diary and haven't clearly marked up your calendar do it now before you continue listening to SARL News. The RTA in Gauteng will be held on Saturday 13 September 2008 at the National Amateur Radio Centre at Radiokop, Roodepoort.
An exciting programme has been arranged, and details will be published soon. The attendance prizes are equally exciting. RS COMPONENTS have donated a state of the art soldering station and COMTEST a Fluke multi-meter and there are more prizes in the pipeline. This is only the start. Visit the web pages regularly and stay tuned to SARL News.
ICASA ASKED TO SPEED UP OUTSTANDING REGULATORY ISSUES
During the past week, the SARL has had several discussions with ICASA at the highest level to speed up several outstanding regulatory issues. Some of these issues include the correction of the ZR licensees' 20 metre allocation, expansion of the 40 metre allocation and the establishment of a permanent liaison committee between the SARL and ICASA.
ARE YOU A VHF/UHF CONTEST ENTHUSIAST?
The SARL VHF/UHF committee is looking for someone who has experience in UHF/VHF contesting to join the committee. "We will soon be looking at the rules for the 2009 VHF/UHF contests and would like to have an expert joining the committee", Nico van Tonder, ZS6AQ, told SARLNEWS. Input from contesters is also welcome. Send an email to Nico with address nico@admin.co.za or call him on 082 326 9345.
CONTEST NEWS
The Boland ARC 40 Metre Contest is on the air this afternoon from 15:00 to 18:00 CAT. The exchange is your call sign, a RS report and your postal code. The Boland ARC ask that logs be sent to BARK, PO Box 273, Strand, 7139 and not that address given in the Contest Manual. Letsplayradio has sponsored a VX3 handheld radio, all logs submitted with 20 or more contacts will be entered into the lucky draw for this handheld radio.
On Sunday 3 August the SARL HF Phone Contest will be on the air from 15:00 to 18:30 CAT with activity on 20, 40 and 80 metres. The exchange is a RS report and a serial number.
The SARL 40 Metre Mobile and Shack in a Sack Contest will be on the air on Sunday 10 August.
CLUB NEWS
New Club Committees.
THE MIDLANDS AMATEUR RADIO CLUB AGM
The Midlands Amateur Radio Club held its AGM on Saturday 19 July and the following members were elected to the committee:
Chairman and Newsletter Editor Wessel du Preez, ZS5BLY;
Vice-chairman Robin Seal, ZS5MRS;
Secretary/Treasurer Mike Boast, ZS5BGV;
Technical Advisor Mickey Esterhuysen, ZS5QB;
Repeaters and Digital Shaun Rudling, ZR5S;
Web Master Mike Lauterbach, ZR5ML.
The club wishes them well in the new year and thanks the retiring members for their hard work.
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. 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 20:00. 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 is looking promising late afternoon and after dark for the CW and digital enthusiasts.
Local conditions are going to be good on 40 m during the day time and that allows for many contacts to be made in this afternoon’s 40 m contest. 80 m may perform well during the mornings and late afternoons over the shorter distances. 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, 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
27 July, this afternoon - Boland ARC 40 Metre Contest;
3 August - SARL HF Phone Contest;
10 August - SARL 40 Metre Mobile and Shack in a Sack Contest;
17 August – INTECNET;
31 August – Last day for subs at discount rates;
13 September – RTA at NARC;
3 October - YL meet SA starts.
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.
