SARL NEWS – SUNDAY 3 JANUARY 2010
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 web-stream, 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 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 52,750; 438,825 and 1 296 MHz FM in the Pretoria area. (Other newsreaders please change to suit.)
In the news today:
SARL NEWS NEEDS EDITORS
SUMBANDILASAT SO67 POWER REDUCED
BACAR TO LAUNCH IN THE WESTERN CAPE
MOTIONS FOR THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more detail on these and other important and interesting news items.
SARL NEWS NEEDS EDITORS
SARL News is compiled weekly by a very small team of editors working in pairs. The news editor compiles the SARL News in English and Afrikaans from news items received from clubs and individual radio amateurs as well as other news sources. The language editor then checks the consistency, grammar and style of both versions. Both language versions are then sent to George Honiball, ZS6NE, who casts a final eye and arranges the distribution and posting on the SARL web.
Editors are needed in all departments to ensure that the SARL News continues to run efficiently. With more editors the work load can be shared. Editing comprises about three hours weekly every third or fourth month.
To volunteer, please e-mail George to gth@absamail.co.za or call him on 012 664 4155.
SUMBANDILASAT SO67 POWER REDUCED
In order to conserve power for other operations on SumbandilaSat, the ground control team have reduced the power of the transponder carrying amateur radio to 2,5 W. First reports from stations in Australia indicate that the reduction is hardly noticeable and that the signals remain stronger than most other amateur radio satellites.
Availability of the ZS0SUM payload will be during daylight hours when the satellite is in full sunlight. The actual schedule is published on www.amsatsa.org.za.
MOTIONS FOR THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Motions for submission and consideration at the AGM of the SARL on 24 April 2010 are invited from members.
Each motion must contain the following:
1. A concise description of the motion; and
2. A motivation in support of the motion.
A proposer and seconder must sign each motion.
Motions must reach the Secretary by no later than Sunday 31 January 2010. Motions must be addressed to The Secretary, SARL and mailed to PO Box 1721, Strubensvallei, 1735, or faxed to 011 675 2393.
DECEMBER A RECORD SUNSPOT MONTH
2009 ended with a flurry of sunspots. The month of December has had more "spotted days" than any previous month of the year by a significant margin, and all of the month's sunspot groups were part of the new Solar Cycle 24. Could this herald an end to the deepest solar minimum in nearly a century? Keep up to date by visiting spaceweather.com. Have you worked any good DX lately? Drop us a line with your DX log at armi@sarl.org.za.
FIRST CALL FOR PAPERS FOR THE SA AMSAT SPACE SYMPOSIUM
This is the first call for papers for the 2010 SA AMSAT Space Symposium to be held at the University of KwaZulu-Natal on 27 March 2010. Visit www.amasatsa.org for more detail.
HOME CONSTRUCTION COURSE
Book now for the Durban and Port Elizabeth events. There is only one space left for the Cape Town event on 23 January 2010. There are still spaces available in Durban and Port Elizabeth. Book now to avoid disappointment. Full details and a booking form can be found on www.sarl.org.za; select ‘Activities’ and then ‘RTA’ and navigate from there. If you have booked for the Cape Town course, your name will appear on the RTA pages. Please check and if your name is not there, send an e-mail to rta@sarl.org.za.
BACAR TO LAUNCH IN THE WESTERN CAPE
The first flight of BACAR 2010 is planned for Sunday 24 January. The payload will be multifunctional and include a 20- and 40 m SSB transceiver, a 2 m parrot repeater, a 2 m Doppler beacon, equipped with a GPS, as well as a camera. SARL News and www.amsatsa.org.za will carry regular updates.
ZS10WCS JANUARY IS FREE STATE MONTH
During January 2010, the Vrystaat Amateur Radio Club will host the ZS10WCS call sign. If you have not worked the special event station, here is another opportunity.
CLUBS INVITED TO SUBMIT NOMINATIONS FOR SARL AWARDS
Radio clubs and individual radio amateurs are invited to submit nominations for the various SARL awards recognising radio amateurs for excellence in various aspects of the hobby. Clubs will receive a SARL letter in their mailboxes with details. The SARL letter can also be downloaded from www.sarl.org.za, click on ‘News’ and select ‘Clubtalk’.
THREE GOOD REASONS TO JOIN THE SARL
There are many good reasons why a radio amateur should join the SARL. You can join now at R200 for the next six months and receive Radio ZS and all the other benefits, such as reduced rates for attending the various courses presented by the SARL. Coming up this year are, for example, the PIC and the Home Construction courses in PE and Durban. Look at www.amateurradio.org.za/threereasons.jpg to see why you cannot afford to stay outside the SARL! To join, find details at www.sarl.org.za and click on ‘Membership’.
PROPAGATION REPORT
Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the solar activity is still at low levels. 2009 ended with a decent amount of sunspot activity. December accumulated a total of 22 ‘spotted’ days. Current predictions are that sunspots will become a non-stop daily occurrence up to February 2010. The effective sunspot number is expected to be between 10 and 15 for the coming week. Overall conditions are on the rise.
15 and 20 m will provide the best opportunities for DX. Conditions to India will be good from the afternoon onwards. During the late afternoon and early evenings, it will be moderate towards Europe. In the afternoon there is a good possibility of contacts with the USA on 15 m. Contacts with New Zealand will be possible for a short while on 15 and 20 m during the mornings. Contacts with Australia will be probable on 20 m for a short while during the mornings and the afternoons. During the afternoons and evenings 15 and 20 m contacts may also be possible with Brazil.
Local conditions will be good on 40 m during the day time. 80 m may also perform well during the early mornings and late afternoons over the shorter distances. 30 m will perform well over the longer distances during the middle of the day. With summer here, 20 m is also once again very useful for contacts over the longer distances, especially during the mornings. 80 m is the frequency of choice in the evenings.
Please visit www.spaceweather.co.za for further information.
DIARY OF EVENTS
15 to 17 January 2010 – PEARS VHF/UHF Contest;
23 January – Home Construction course in Cape Town;
24 January – BACAR launch in the Western Cape;
31 January – President's net at 19:30;
31 January – Closing date for AGM motions;
28 February – New closing date for the SumbandilaSat essay competition;
28 February – Final date for entries in the ARRISS-SAT project to be submitted to youth@sarl.org.za;
27 March – 2010 SA AMSAT Space Symposium.
To end SARL News today, the first of 2010, we would like to extend our best wishes for the year ahead. The SARL President, Rassie Erasmus, ZS1YT, and the Councillors of the SARL join the SARL News team in wishing you a prosperous and joyful new year.
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 Amateur Radio Mirror International 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. For a web-stream and Echolink by ZS6FCS, visit www.sarl.org.za, click on 'ARMI' and follow the links. A repeat transmission can be heard on 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/6, and edited by Jannie, ZR6PHD.
Thank you for listening, 73.
/EX
