SARL NEWS – SUNDAY 1 FEBRUARY 2009
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 news reader 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:
‘SARL NEWS BY E-MAIL’ SERVICE GETS TOO MANY BOUNCES
NEW ADMINISTRATOR TAKES OFFICE ON MONDAY
CLUBS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPOINT A PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more detail on these, and other important and interesting news items.
‘SARL NEWS BY E-MAIL’ SERVICE GETS TOO MANY BOUNCES
If you were receiving SARL News by e-mail in the past and are no longer getting it in your inbox then it is likely that you have not updated your e-mail address on the system. The webmaster receives too many bounces, which is a clear indication that recipients are not updating the system when they change their e-mail address.
To check or update your email address on the list go to http://www.sarl.org.za/members/admin/MailDat.asp, or an easier way from the home page, click on ‘News’ in the left-hand box and select ‘News by e-mail’.
Please do your bit to help us run an efficient e-mail delivery service for SARL News.
NEW ADMINISTRATOR TAKES OFFICE ON MONDAY
It is farewell to Vee Antal and welcome to Mariska Faasen. Vee resigned and ended her services to the SARL last Friday. The Council and members of the SARL thank Vee for her services and wish her well for the future.
Mariska Faasen takes over from Vee and will start her duties on Monday. We welcome Mariska to the SARL and trust that she will enjoy working at the NARC. New office hours will come into effect from mid-February. The office will be open from Monday to Thursday from 08:00 – 16:00 and on Fridays from 08:00 – 11:00. The rest of Fridays will be devoted to activities that will take the administrator out of the office.
DON’T MISS THE SARL’S CONVENTION
The SARL’S National Convention which will be held in the greater Cape Town area from 23 to 26 April 2009, is not to be missed. Programme details are now on the web and will be published in the January/February edition of Radio ZS.
Up-country members are encouraged to do their travel arrangements early to benefit from the early-bird discounts offered by various airlines for online bookings. A list of bed-and-breakfast accommodation is being compiled and will soon be available on the web.
CLUBS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPOINT A PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER (PIO)
During the President’s net last Sunday, details of a new marketing and Public Relations Initiative for Amateur Radio were announced. It is called the Public Information Officer Network.
Clubs are invited to appoint a PIO as part of a national team co-ordinated by the national body, the SARL, but each one serving his or her own club and area.
The objective is the promotion of amateur radio by disseminating information to the media and the community at large about Amateur Radio, the SARL and the PIO’s local club.
The SARL is inviting clubs to canvass an enthusiastic person to join the network and become a PIO for Amateur Radio, their local club and the national body, the SARL.
The network will have its own Web Pages with lots of information, PowerPoint presentations that can be used in presentations, audio files, media releases and pictures about Amateur-Radio-in-action.
The SARL is compiling a PIO manual that will provide guidelines and train PIOs. The SARL will run regular short courses via teleconferences. Make news material available that can be customised for local newspapers – we are even planning radio spots that can be placed as public service announcements – free of charge.
Visit ClubTalk on www.sarl.org.za to download an application form to join the PIO Network.
HAMNET GAUTENG SOUTH PROVINCIAL MEETING
HAMNET Gauteng South will have its general meeting at 11:00 CAT on Saturday 21 February at the National Amateur Radio Centre at Radiokop. The guest speaker is Henk van Elst from Disaster Management. The meeting will be followed by a bring-and-braai at the recreational area. If you are involved with HAMNET or Emergency Communications and want to know more on how to make a difference, join us on 21 February at the NARC. Please contact Chris Gryffenberg by email to zs6cog@gmail.com for more information.
CONTEST NEWS
The Antique Wireless Association’s (AWA) CW Activity Day will be run over the weekend of 7 and 8 February. The AWA invites all interested in CW, young or old, good or bad, fast or slow, to join them for 24 hours of CW activity on 20, 40 and 80 metres. The Activity Day starts at 12:00 CAT on Saturday and ends 24 hours later. There are five entry categories and the exchange is a RST report, the operator’s name and Grid locator or QTH.
The first leg of the SARL HF Field Day will be on the air on 14 and 15 February, with phone and CW activity on 10 to 160 metres. The Field Day starts at 12:00 CAT on Saturday 14 February.
The rules for both these contests can be found in the 2009 SARL Contest Manual at www.sarl.org.za. Please dispose of 2008 Contest manual.
CLUB NEWS
The East Rand Branch will be hosting a flea market from 08:00 to 12:00 CAT on Saturday 7 February 2009 at their clubhouse in Plantation Road, Springs. At 09:00 a demonstration on how to post images online will be presented and at 10:00 the Branch meeting will be held. Tables are available at R20,00 each. There is safe parking and shelter against the elements. Call in on the 145,675 MHz East Rand repeater.
The Overberg ARC will be holding their Annual General Meeting on Saturday 7 February at 12:00 CAT at the Hermanus Observatory.
PROPAGATION REPORT
Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the expected solar activity will be very low. The geomagnetic field is expected to be at quiet levels. The expected Effective Sun Spot number for the coming week will be less than 5.
15 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. Contacts with New Zealand will be challenging. 20 m contacts may be possible with Australia from 09:00. Contacts with Peru are highly unlikely. Brazil may be worked on 15 and 20 m from 18:00. At 18:00 there may be short, weak 20 m openings towards Europe. Contacts with the USA East Coast are possible on 15 m from 18:00. 10 MHz is looking promising in late afternoons 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 early mornings and late afternoons over the shorter distances, e.g. between ZS5 and ZS6. 30 m may perform well during the middle of the day between ZS6 and ZS1. Even 20 m may perform well over the longer distances before morning teatime. 80 m is the frequency of choice in the evenings. With summer here, the thunderstorms and static noise may be challenging.
Remember that this is only a prediction and that HF can pleasantly surprise you, but you will never know unless you switch your rig on, listen and call CQ.
Please visit www.spaceweather.co.za for further information.
DIARY OF EVENTS
7 February – East Rand Flea Market, Overberg ARC AGM;
7 and 8 February – AWA CW Activity Day;
14 and 15 February – SARL HF Field Day;
15 February – closing date for Tinus Lange award entries;
21 February – PIC course in Durban and HAMNET Gauteng South meeting;
21 March – BACAR launch;
24-26 April – SARL National Convention, Cape Town.
SARL News invites clubs and individuals to submit news items of interest to radio amateurs and shortwave listeners. Submit news items – 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 17 860 kHz. There is also a podcast by ZS6RO which can be listened to. 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.
You have listened to a bulletin of the South African Radio League, compiled by Dennis, ZS4BS, and edited by Jannie, ZR6PHD.
Thank you for listening, 73.
