SARL News – SUNDAY 21 MARCH 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 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 email.
Your newsreader this morning is (name), (call sign), on 145,725 and 7,066 MHz from Pretoria, with relays on 10,130, 7,066 and 3,695 MHz SSB.
In the news today:
GAUTENG PIC COURSE FULLY BOOKED
SARL ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
MEMBERSHIP BREAKS THE 1 400 BARRIER
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more details on these and other important and interesting news items.
GAUTENG PIC COURSE FULLY BOOKED
The "learn to programme a PIC microcontroller in 4 hours" course for Gauteng is now fully booked. The course will be held next Saturday at the NARC. If you have booked please check the details on www.sarl.org.za, click on RTA and follow the links to the various PIC2010 pages. A map to the NARC is also available from the PIC2010 pages.
You can still book for the Durban, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth course. If there is no course near you, why not attend the SARL National Convention In Port Elizabeth and take part in the course on Saturday afternoon 24 April. You won't regret it.
LIGHTNING PREDICTOR KIT AGAIN AVAILABLE
The SA Amateur radio Development Trust has the popular Lightning Predictor kit again in stock. The kit is an ideal Saturday afternoon construction project and the predictor is a useful instrument to have in the shack or around the house. It will alert you when a lightning storm is approaching. The cost is R130 including postage and packing. Full details and how to order is available on www.amateurradio.org.za.
SARL ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Members of the SARL are reminded that all the AGM documents are available on the member's pages of www.sarl.org.za. Click on the members button on the top right of the home page and enter your call sign and PIN. There are two documents available, the AGM notice and Agenda and the proposed revised constitution.
If you cannot attend you may appoint any member who is attending to represent you. The person you appoint can vote on your behalf. You need to brief your proxy holder on how he or she should vote. It should be noted that how the proxy holder votes is between you and the proxy holder. It is a matter of trust between you and the person you appoint to represent you.
A proxy form is included in the AGM notice package. Please ensure you follow the instructions and send in the form before due date.
MEMBERSHIP BREAKS THE 1 400 BARRIER
The membership of the SARL broke the 1 400 barrier last week. The SARL is well on track to reach its target set for this year. If you have not yet joined, do it now. Details are available from the SARL Web Pages.
We welcome the following new members and wish them a long and fruitful association with the National Body for Amateur radio, the SARL:
ZR6DEK - Andrew Dekenah;
ZS2BK - Andre van Deventer;
ZR6JJP - Jean-Pierre Jordaan;
ZS1L - Alex Smith;
ZS6GRT - Gert Visser;
ZS1HNM - James Hayes;
ZR6IF - Francois Massyn;
ZR5DB - Tyron Brown;
ZU5K -K Brown;
ZS3EY – Colonel J W Papenfus;
ZSL610 - Graham Lambrechs;
ZS6BZT - Gideon Bothma;
ZR1FDT - Francois Du Toit;
C9IPAM - Pieter Myburgh;
ZS6-6000 - Andreas Raftopoulos.
PRESIDENT’S NET 11 APRIL 2010
This is an early notification for the next President's net. It will be held on Sunday 11 April at 19:30. The main discussion point will be explaining the proposed changes to the constitution and a report back on the Strategy Indaba of Council.
DRAFT REVISED REGULATIONS - PUBLICATION NOT IMMINENT
From a discussion with a senior executive of ICASA on Friday last week it appears that the information that publication of the draft radio regulations pertaining to Amateur Radio was imminent is incorrect. The draft regulations are still being reviewed by ICASA's legal department and at this stage there is no indication when the draft will be published in the Government Gazette. SARLNEWS will keep listeners informed.
FREQUENCY CHANGE FOR ARMI
On 28 March the 17 860 kHz frequency for Amateur Radio Mirror International will change to 17 560. Amateur Radio Mirror will be on the air on Sundays at 10:00 CAT on 7 205 kHz and 17 560 kHz (this week still on 17 860kHz) with a repeat on Mondays at 21:05 CAT on 3 215 kHz. Receptions reports are invited, send them to armi@sarl.org.za.
SARL OFFICE CLOSED
The SARL office is closed and will reopen on Tuesday 23 March.
PROPAGATION REPORT
Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the solar activity is still at low levels. Sunspot 1054 remains quiet as it transits the northern hemisphere of the sun. In the region towards the eastern part of the sun has finally formed a few sunspots and was numbered 1 056 on Wednesday. The effective sunspot number is expected to be between twenty and twenty-five for the coming week.
20 and 15 m will provide the best opportunities for DX. Conditions to India will be good from the afternoons onwards. During the late afternoons and early evenings it will be fair towards Europe. In the afternoons there are good possibilities of contacts with the USA on 15 m. Contacts with Australia and New Zealand will be challenging. During the afternoons and evenings good 20 and 15 m contacts may also be possible with Brazil.
Most afternoons 17 m is open to many parts of the world. The majority of activity is concentrated on Friday afternoons and also over the weekends.
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. 30 m will perform well during the middle of the day. 20 m is very useful for contacts over the longer distances during the majority of the day.
80 m is the frequency of choice in the evenings.
Please visit www.spaceweather.co.za for further information.
DIARY OF EVENTS
19/21 March - SARL VHF/UHF Digital Contest.
20/21 March - SARL VHF/UHF Analogue Contest.
20 March – HABEX information meeting at 09:00 at the Sci Bono centre.
27 March - Pretoria Amateur Radio Club Flea market at 08:00.
27 March - PIC programming in 4 hours course at the NARC.
31 March – SARL 80 m Club Contest with PSK and RTTY.
31 March – Closing date for stage 1 of the Construction Competition.
11 April – President’s net at 19:30.
17 April – 2010 SA AMSAT Space Symposium.
23-25 April – SARL National Convention, Port Elizabeth.
24 April – PIC programming course in Port Elizabeth.
7 May - Closing date for stage 2 of the Construction Competition.
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 webstream 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 and edited by George, ZS6NE.
Thank you for listening, 73.
/EX
