SARL News – SUNDAY 4 APRIL 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. (Other newsreaders change as applicable.)
SILENT KEY
It is with deep regret that the passing of John Bastiaans, ZS4ABQ, on 29 March 2010 must be announced. We extend our sincere condolences to his wife, Adela, ZS4ABR, family and friends.
(PAUSE)
In the news today:
LAST OPPORTUNITY TO BOOK FOR THE SA AMSAT SPACE SYMPOSIUM AT EARLY BIRD RATES
INNOVATION IN AMATEUR RADIO - A NEW SA AMATEUR RADIO DEVELOPMENT TRUST PROJECT
SARL NATIONAL CONVENTION HAS SO MUCH TO OFFER
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more details on these and other important and interesting news items.
LAST OPPORTUNITY TO BOOK FOR THE SA AMSAT SPACE SYMPOSIUM AT EARLY BIRD RATES
Make your booking this week for the SA AMSAT Space Symposium, to be held in Durban on 17 April 2010, to benefit from the low early bird rate. The full programme is available for download. The registration form and all details are on www.amsatsa.org.za.
The conference is supported by the Department of Science and Technology, and offers free attendance by learners and students. The programme itself includes exciting papers on SumbandilaSat and the lessons learned, details about two new CubeSat satellite projects in South Africa, the Around the World balloon project and many other interesting topics covering satellites and space.
INNOVATION IN AMATEUR RADIO - A NEW SA AMATEUR RADIO DEVELOPMENT TRUST PROJECT
Here is a new exciting project sponsored by the South African Amateur Radio Development Trust (SAARDT). "Innovation in Amateur Radio" is a eighteen-month project aimed at promoting innovation in Amateur Radio. "While Amateur Radio is one of the oldest and still the most rewarding of all the scientific hobbies, there comes a time when one has to look at innovation, new ideas and new technologies to keep the activities relevant and exciting." This is the view of Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, a technologist and a member of the Board of Trustees of SAARDT. Hannes was one of the principal architects of the Amateur Radio payload on SumbandilaSat which is attracting wide interest amongst radio amateurs worldwide.
Radio amateurs and technology fundis are invited to submit innovative amateur radio-related projects. There are no limits on creativity, whether it is software, amateur radio and the Internet, the development of compact HF antennas for flat and complex dwellers or innovation in Emergency Communications.
Hannes says that innovation is particularly needed in the area of disaster communication such as incorporating high speed images and data transmission utilizing amateur radio equipment and frequencies and interfacing all the networks available to amateur radio.
When it comes to satellites, radio amateurs have made a major contribution in the development of low earth-orbiting satellites, technologies that have found their way into commercial satellite projects. He feels that here is another great opportunity for innovation in developing payloads that will make people of all ages want to be part of the scientific and technological communities.
Out-of-the box ideas are required to solve some of the problems and challenges faced by 21st century radio amateurs. The innovation project is in the form of a competition to stimulate the creative side of radio amateurs to develop those solutions that will make the hobby more enjoyable to amateurs all over the world. Even old ideas improved with modern design techniques and modern components can generate a "wow" factor. Solutions will be judged by their uniqueness, e.g. not having been previously published.
Entries with a description of your designs are invited by 30 September. The designs must be innovative but also practically implementable. Three entries will be chosen to go to the final stage of the competition which requires the entrant to develop and build a prototype.
The innovation competition is supported by Multisource who has made a HF transceiver, an ICOM7000, available as the main prize for the overall winner. Announcing the sponsorship, the CEO of Multisource, Richard Smuts-Steyn, said that innovation in communication technology is an ongoing process. "We believe that the amateur radio innovation project will benefit industry as the enthusiasm of radio amateurs for new technologies will rub off to others." Get all the details on www.amateurradio.org.za.
SARL NATIONAL CONVENTION HAS SO MUCH TO OFFER
The SARL National Convention will be held in Port Elizabeth from 23 to 25 April. This is the second time that the convention will be attended by the President of IARU Region 1. The current President, Hans Blondeel Timmerman, PB2T, will address the annual Awards Dinner as well as attend the AGM. He will be accompanied by Executive committee member Nikola Percin, 9A5W.
Besides the dinner and AGM there are several activities to participate in. The popular course "Learn to program a PIC Micro-Controller in Four Hours" will be presented and bookings can now be made by going to the RTA pages on the SARL web at www.sarl.org.za. The course is also being advertised by Microchip to the general public at substantially higher rates than the cost of registration for SARL members. Members are urged to make their bookings as soon as possible.
For DXers and Contesters there will a special forum on the Saturday afternoon. Several tours including a visit to a game park have been arranged. Book for the event now on www.sarl.org.za.
ZS10WCS FROM THE NORTHERN CAPE
The Northern Cape Amateur Radio Club is operating the World Cup Soccer special event station, ZS10WCS, for the month of April. Listen out and work the station.
The Sandton and West Rand ARCs are thanked for their operation of the call sign during March 2010.
WORLD AMATEUR RADIO DAY
World Amateur Radio Day will be celebrated on Sunday 18 April 2010, the theme for 2010 is “Amateur Radio: Combining communication experience with modern digital techniques.” This Sunday can be a great opportunity for radio clubs to demonstrate amateur radio to the public at a shopping centre or mall.
The Autumn QRP Sprint will be run on Sunday afternoon 18 April 2010.
CLUB NEWS
The Antique Wireless Association will be holding its annual Open Day at the Rand Airport TAC on Saturday 10 April from 10:00. Apart from the antique wireless display there will be a flea market and the best seats for watching the aircraft coming and going from the airport. Bring the family along for an enjoyable outing. Refreshments from a cash bar and restaurant will be available.
To book flea market tables, contact Andy, ZS6ADY, on 082 448 4368.
The Overberg Amateur Radio Club held its annual general meeting on 27 March 2010. The following committee was elected:
Chairman: Andre Meintjes, ZS1AZ
Vice-Chairman: Sam Mcleary, ZS1OR
Treasurer: Judy Gardener, ZS1JEG
Secretary: Lindsey Magnus, ZS1LGM
Technical: Len van Riell, ZS1LEN
PROPAGATION REPORT
Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the solar activity is still at low levels. Currently sunspots 1 057 and 1 059 are doing their bit for HF although they are in general not very active. The effective sunspot number is expected to be between 15 and 20 for the coming week.
20 and 15 m will provide the best opportunities for DX. Conditions to India will be good from the afternoon onwards. During the late afternoons and early evenings conditions will be good towards Europe. Contacts with the USA are once again becoming challenging. 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.
17 m is open most afternoons to many parts of the world. The majority of activity is concentrated on Friday afternoons and also over the weekends. 10 m is also showing signs of life.
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. 30 m will perform well during the middle of the day. 20 m is very useful for contacts over the longer distances during most 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
10 April: Antique Wireless Association Open Day
17 April: 2010 SA AMSAT Space Symposium.
18 April - World Amateur Radio Day.
18 April - Autumn QRP Sprint.
23-25 April:- SARL National Convention, Port Elizabeth.
7 May: Closing date for stage 2 of the Construction Competition.
30 September – Closing date for entries in new SAARDT Innovation in Amateur Radio project.
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 17 570 kHz – note the change in this frequency. 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 by Leon, ZS4V, and edited by Hester van der Walt.
Thank you for listening, 73.
/EX
