SARL NEWS – SUNDAY 14 JUNE 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 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 bulletin and previous ones 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 52,750, 438,825 and 1 296 MHz FM in the Pretoria area. (Other newsreaders please change to suit).
In the news today
BIGGER 40 METRE BAND AT LAST
NEXT INTECNET TO FEATURE OPTICAL COMMUNICATION
DON'T MISS THE RTA SYMPOSIUM IN PE NEXT SATURDAY
COMPETITION TO CELEBRATE THE NEW 40 METRE SEGMENT THIS AFTERNOON
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more detail on these and other important and interesting news items.
BIGGER 40 METRE BAND AT LAST
On Wednesday last week the expansion of the 40 metre band was announced in the Government Gazette. All South African Radio Amateurs will now have full access to the spectrum 7 000 kHz - 7 200 kHz. In the Gazette the correction to the ZR allocation in the 20 metre band was also published. ZR licensees will now have access from 14 225 to 14 350 kHz.
The SARL started negotiations with ICASA in February 2008. It was a long road but in the end it paid off. "These are the benefits that all radio amateurs derive from the SARL as the National Body for Amateur Radio in South Africa. It is just a shame that there are still radio amateurs who are not members of the SARL and always question what would the SARL do for them if they joined", SARL President Rassie Erasmus, Z1YT, said. He was the first to have a QSO with ZS6AKV on 7 150 kHz.
This is the first of a series of interventions the SARL is working on with ICASA.
The new 40 metre IARU band plan is available on the SARL web, please follow the band plan.
There are still many commercial stations on the new amateur segment. The IARU Monitoring Service is working on it and you can help them by logging the details of these intruders. Information such as station ID, frequency and time heard is extremely useful and should be sent to secretary@sarl.org.za.
NEXT INTECNET TO FEATURE OPTICAL COMMUNICATION
How would you like to communicate with just a couple of Light Emitting Diodes? Join us on our next SARL Intecnet on Sunday 28 June at 19:30 when we will talk about over the horizon optical communication.
A group of Australian radio amateurs, Rex Moncur, VJK7MO, Justin Giles-Clark, VK7TW, and Ken Sulman, VK7DY, are experimenting with optical communication devices and recently achieved up to 209 km with digital mode JT65a on cloud-bounce propagation using red light on a frequency of 478 Terahertz. They used banks of LED's focussed by small plastic lenses (as used in torches) and a large area avalanche photo diode (APD) receiver. Rex Moncur, VK7MO, joins us on 28 June to share their experiences with us.
Clubs who would like to take part and link their repeater should send an Email to armi@sarl.org.za with the telephone number to be linked.
DON'T MISS THE RTA SYMPOSIUM IN PE NEXT SATURDAY
The SARL Radio Technology in Action Symposium will be presented in Port Elizabeth on Saturday 20 June starting with registration at 08:00. Enjoy the hospitality of the Port Elizabeth Amateur Radio Society and an array of speakers arranged by the SARL covering a wide range of subjects. You will find the full programme on www.sarl.org.za. It is a day in the amateur calendar not to be missed.
COMPETITIONS
The Boland Amateur Radio Club is arranging a competition to celebrate the expansion of the 40 metre band this afternoon, Sunday 14 June 2009.
The Boland competition will be open to all radio amateurs in South Africa. Only contacts in the new SSB Contest segment 7 130 - 7 200 kHz will count. The competition will run from 14:00 - 16:00 CAT (note the time change)
The scoring is as follows: 1 point for each contact and 5 points for a contact with ZS1BAK. Logs may be sent by mail or email and must reach the contest committee within 14 days of the contest. The email address is zs1bak@bark.org.za and the postal address is P O Box 273, Strand, 7139. Certificates will be awarded to the contestants with the three highest scores.
YOUTH DAY SPRINT
"The Youth Sprint is a fun activity to Celebrate Youth Day and to promote contacts between young radio amateurs in Southern African countries. Call “CQ Youth Day” on 16 June from 08:00 to 10:00 UTC [10:00 to 12:00 CAT].
This is a phone sprint on the 40 metre band [7,053 to 7,100 and 7,130 to 7,200 MHz] and the exchange is a RS report and the operator’s age.
Scoring per contact:
Between stations, both in the age group 25 and younger: 5 points;
Between stations in the under 25 group and over 26 group: 2 points;
Between stations in the age group 26 and older: 1 point.
Log sheets and summaries shall be submitted before 1 July 2009 and may be sent by e-mail to hfcontests@netactive.co.za or by snail mail to the SARL Youth Day Sprint, PO Box 12104, Brandhof, 9324. The age of the operator must be shown on the summary sheet. All the logs received will be entered into a draw for a Student Membership of the SARL.
Prizes will only be awarded to entrants in the under 25 category, and these are:
Highest Score: A certificate and a ARRL Operating Manual;
Second Place: A certificate and a 40 m DC receiver kit;
Third Place: A certificate and lightning predictor kit.
In addition, all participant 25 years and younger who have submitted a log will receive a full colour certificate and take part in the lucky prize draw for wireless microphone kit (5 chances)
Further, all participants who submit a high resolution picture with their log will go into a separate lucky draw for a 2009 ARRL handbook. The photograph(s) must be in jpeg format and submitted on a CD or mailed separate from the log to armi@sarl.org.za with the callsign and Youth Sprint in the subject line. In the message part, state name, callsign of the person in the pic, age and full address details.
Stations are encouraged to invite a young unlicensed person into their shacks and allow him/her to operate during the youth sprint under your guidance and use your callsign. Help him/her to submit a log. The log must include the person’s name and age as well as your callsign. This is important to qualify for the draw.
All stations participating in this category will go into the lucky draw for one year free membership of the SARL. By submitting a log you are automatically registered as an education station operating as part of the Youth Sprint. This has been agreed with ICASA, no paperwork required.
Any other enquiries regarding the Youth Day Sprint may be directed to Gerhard Coetzee, ZS3TG, at 082 5766 296 or email to zs3tg@vodamail.co.za.
CONTEST RESULTS
The following are the results of the AWA Valve QSO Party for AM and SSB on Saturday and Sunday the 9th and 10th of May 2009.
AM:
First Place - Jan, ZS4JAN, 178 points;
Second Place – Andre, ZS2ACP, 132 points;
Third Place - Rad, ZS6RAD, 117 points.
SSB:
First place - Jan, ZS4JAN, 282 points;
Second place – Theunis, ZS2EC, 80 points;
Third place - Vince, ZS6BT, 74 points.
There were 66 stations active in the AM section, 93 in the SSB section and 12 logs were received. Our thanks to all who participated and congratulations to the top scorers.
CLUB NEWS
The Overberg Amateur Radio Club wil be hosting a club meeting at the Hermanus Magnetic Observatory on the 20 June at 10:30. Lindsey Magnus, ZS1LGM, will give one of his interesting talks. Afterwards there will be the normal bring and braai. Non members are also welcome. Contact ZS1AZ at 072 729 1680 for more details.
At a recent AGM of the Durban Amateur Radio Club the following Committee was elected:
Chairman Louis de Bruin, ZS5LP;
Vice Chairman Dave Long, ZS5FR;
Secretary Laurie Devereux, ZS5DL;
Members John Norman, ZS5JX;
Glen Duffy, ZS5GD;
Neil Slogrove, ZR5NAS;
Charley du Pont, ZS5DU.
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. This past weak the visible solar disk was spotless and it is expected to stay this way for some time again.
With the winter here less energy from the sun is reaching the Southern ionosphere and it is having an impact on propagation. 15, 17 and 20 m will provide best opportunities for DX. Conditions to the East and the West will be good from the afternoon onwards. During the late afternoon and early evenings it will be good towards the North. Early in the morning it may be possible to make contacts with Australia and New-Zealand. During the evening 40 m contacts may be possible with Brazil. The North Easterly, North Westerly, South Easterly and South Westerly paths will be challenging. Long path propagation towards the USA is also possible during the afternoons.
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. 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.
80 m is the frequency of choice in the evenings. Unfortunately the static noise levels are still a bit
high making contacts over the longer distances a bit challenging.
Remember that this is only a prediction and that HF has the capability to pleasantly 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
14 June – BARK 40 Metre band expansion contest;
16 June – Youth Sprint and ERB club meeting;
17 June – World QRP Day;
17 to 21 June – SARL 160 m QSO Party;
20 June – RTA in Port Elizabeth;
27 June - Magalies Radio Amateur Club flea market;
28 June – Digital competition and Intechnet.
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. Please do not send news items to the Office Administrator or one of the bulletin compilers – an item sent that way might be missed and not be included in a bulletin.
The SARL also invites you to listen to the Amateur Radio Mirror International programme every Sunday morning at 10:00 CAT on 145,750 MHz in the Pretoria area, with relays on 7 082, 7 205 and 17 570 kHz. There is also a podcast by ZS6RO. 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 Roger, ZS3RC, and edited by George, ZS6NE.
Thank you for listening, 73.
/EX
