SARL NEWS – SUNDAY 21 NOVEMBER 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. 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 7,066 and 3,695 MHz SSB. (Other news readers change as applicable).
In the news today:
LISENCE RENEWALS
FREQUENCY ALLOCATIONS
AMATEUR RADIO FEATURES ON ASTV
NEWS FOR ZR LISENCE HOLDERS
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more details on these and other important and interesting news items.
LICENCE RENEWAL FOR THREE MONTHS
ICASA advised the SARL at the quarterly liaison meeting held on Thursday last week that radio amateurs will receive a licence renewal invoice covering the period January to March 2011 charged at a pro-rata rate of R6,75. In March 2011 a licence renewal will be sent covering a full year from 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012. Please do not make a payment until the renewal notice has been received. SARL news will advise listeners when the notices have been posted.
TABLE OF FREQUENCY ALLOCATION
To prevent the impasse of no band plan for amateur radio when the old regulations are repealed, the SARL will submit at the public Frequency Spectrum Regulation hearing a band plan that will replace the one in the current regulations. This band plan could become an addendum to the new regulations or be a permanent band plan. The Council is working on this document and expects it to be available on the web by Thursday 25 November for comment.
CALLSIGNS OF SILENT KEYS
ICASA reaffirmed the agreement with the SARL that a callsign of a silent key will be blocked for re-allocation for the year in which the amateur dies, plus a further one year. This was an AGM decision and agreed to by ICASA.
For example, if a radio amateur passes away in June 2010, his/her callsign will become available for reallocation from 1 January 2012. ICASA will, however, not reserve callsigns. This means that an application can only be submitted on the date that the callsign becomes available for re-allocation. As an alternative it is possible to apply for the callsign with written permission of the family of the silent key.
SATNETWORK TODAY
SA AMSAT’s SATNETWORK will on the air today at 19:30 CAT. Eddie Leighton, ZS6BNE, will talk about APRS and the International Space Station. Eddie is well-known for his regular satellite column in Radio ZS. Join Eddie on a repeater near you or on 3 718 kHz.
ZR LICENCE HOLDERS – BE CAREFUL
ZR licence holders should take note of the frequencies allocated to them. Recently a ZR was heard making a contact with a DX station on a 20 m frequency outside the ZR allocation. ZR stations may only use the following 20 m spectrum 14 070 - 14 099 kHz and 14 225 - 14 350 kHz. In other bands ZR's may use 21 070 – 21 120 kHz and 21 300 – 21 450 kHz, and on 10 metres, 28 070 – 28 150 kHz and 28 300 – 28 500 kHz. Operating outside the allocated frequencies constitutes a violation of the licence conditions, which may result in cancellation of the licence – and a fine – or both. Please take note.
MORE DELAYS IN DELIVERY OF SARL KITS
The SARL regrets to announce a further delay in the supply of the three kits discussed during the RTA symposiums earlier this year. The group working on assembling the kits has encountered a further problem with the labelling of some components that had been received in strip form. These components have to be packed and labelled individually, as there are no easy identifiable markings on the components. This would make assembly by kit builders very difficult. The December holiday period will be utilised to finalise this task. Delivery can now be expected for the third week of January. The SARL can not take new orders until the backlog has been erased; SARL News will keep you informed of progress.
If you would like to do some kit building, the SA Amateur Radio Development Trust has Lightning Predictor kits available for immediate delivery. Visit www.amateurradio.org.za for details.
2011 HARDCOVER ARRL HANDBOOK NOW IN SA
The SA Amateur Radio Development Trust has a limited stock available of the 2011 ARRL Handbook. Get details from www.amateurradio.org.za.
AMATEUR RADIO FEATURES ON ASTV
NaSonop, a new actuality programme in the ASTV bouquet of the new TOPTV satellite service, will air a lengthy insert regarding amateur radio on Saturday 27 November. Riaan Greeff, ZS4PR, was interviewed and also demonstrated a VHF contact with Frik Wolff, ZS6FZ, as part of the studio interview. In an additional item a visit to the QTH of Johan Steyn, ZS4SS, is portrayed. The public does seldom realise the potential our hobby has to offer in terms of its rich experiences. This opportunity was jumped at to fully use our advantage. Recordings will be made available for amateurs who would like to use the insert for promotion of amateur radio. Contact Riaan on zs4pr@qsl.net if you are interested in obtaining a copy. If there is enough positive feedback to this insert and topic, more specific topics may be recorded to promote specific radio amateur activities.
ZS6BB ACHIEVES THE FIRST ZS WAGS AWARD FOR ALL 83 GRID SQUARES
Pierre van Deventer, ZS6BB, recently achieved the top ZS WAGS award with his submission for all 83 grid squares on mixed bands and modes. Getting the last grid square took him many months, and was only completed by a contact with a Botswana station for KG25, a grid with a very small footprint in Southern Africa.
To achieve this award Pierre had to take full advantage of mobile stations for many grids in which there are very few no resident amateurs, and included contacts on SSB, CW, Satellite and even PSK31.
The ZS WAGS operating award was launched in early 2009. To date, a total of 35 hunters’ awards have been issued, as well as 17 awards for stations that activated rare grid squares.
The ZS WAGS award is operated by the Sandton Amateur Radio Club. For the rules and complete records of all awards go to http://www.zs6stn.org.za/zswags/.
COMPETITION NEWS
HERITAGE DAY 2010 RESULTS
The results of the 2010 Heritage Day contest held on 24 September have been published. Only six log sheets were received. No blockhouse station was active. ZS6PTA was the only Heritage station. Five general class logs were received. Due to the low number of logs received, it was decided to reward each participant with a participation certificate. The top three scorers will still receive the placement certificates. Contact Riaan zs4pr@qsl.net if you have sent a log and it does not appear on this list. Congratulations to the winners and thank you for the entries.
The winners are: ZS6PTA operated by ZS6PJH, ZR6RAF, and ZS6BTY from Fort Skanskop with 378 points achieved. The results the five general logs are as follows:
Wessie Wessels, ZS2A, 138;
Pam Momberg, ZS6APT, 124;
Mitch Rundle, ZS2DK, 120;
Derek Stuart, ZS2J, 58 and
Theunis Potgieter, ZS2EC, 36.
SARL SPRING QRP RESULTS
According to the logs received there were 62 stations on the air. Conditions were not favourable for long distances. The sad part is that only 5 logs were received.
The results are as follows:-
1st - ZS6BB - Pierre v Deventer - 819 points (SSB / CW);
2nd - ZS2PE - Andre Le Roux (ZS2AL) - 576 points (SSB);
Andrew Prideaux(ZS2PA) / Peter Flynn (ZS2PF) (SSB)
3rd - ZS6GRL - Geoff Levey - 375 points (SSB);
4th - ZS6APT - Pam Momberg - 184 points (SSB);
5th - ZS2J - Derek Stuart - 12 points (SSB).
CLUB NEWS
ZS6PTA will hold another mega flea market on Saturday 27 November from 08:00 at the Pretoria Motor Club in Silverton.
The West Rand Amateur Radio Club is hosting its next flea market at 12:00 on Saturday 4 December at their clubhouse in Kroton Street, Weltevredenpark, Roodepoort. Everyone is very welcome. For more information, contact Phillip, ZS6PVT, at 083 267 3835.
PROPAGATION REPORT
Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the solar activity is still at low levels. The extended minimum has now unquestionably come to an end, but the sun is still sputtering along. All three sunspot regions (1 124, 1 126 and 1 127) have remained quiet. The effective sunspot number is expected to be less than 25 for the coming week.
15 m will provide the best opportunities for DX followed by 20 m. Conditions to India will be good from the afternoon till after sunset. During the afternoon conditions will be good towards Europe on 15 m, later to be followed by good 20 m openings. Late afternoon and early evening 15 m contacts with the USA are possible. Contacts with Australia are likely at sunset on 20 m. 15 m openings to Brazil and South America are achievable during the afternoons. With the good 15 and 20 m openings 17 m may also be full of surprises.
For the CW and digital enthusiasts 30 m may be very rewarding with openings to many parts of the world.
Locally is 40 m the workhorse for contacts around the country with 20 and 30 m also being very valuable for contacts over the longer distances. 80 m will be best during the early mornings and late afternoons as well as over the shorter distances.
80 m is the frequency of choice during the evenings.
Please visit www.spaceweather.co.za for further information.
DIARY OF EVENTS FOR THE WEEK
Today 21 November – 10:00 UTC, field day weekend and ZS85SARL closes;
Also today 21 November – 19:30 SAT, SATnetwork on the air;
27 November – ZS6RTB Club meeting together with other radio operators;
27 November – NaSonop: actuality program about Amateur Radio in ASTV Bouquet on the new TOPTV satellite service;
27 November – ZS6PTA mega flea market at the PMC in Silverton from 08:00;
28 November – YL net starts at 15:00 CAT on 145,750 MHz in Pretoria.
SARL News invites clubs and individuals to submit terms 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.
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 17 560 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 22:05 CAT on 3 215 kHz. Sentech sponsors the ARMI transmissions on the non-amateur frequencies.
Lastly: Jannie, ZR6PHD, reports that SARL News has received several constructive suggestions from quite a few sources about a suitable translation for the term “podcast” in Afrikaans. “However, we have not yet received a satisfying alternative. We will continue looking until we find an appropriate description,” Jannie reported. SARL News is still of the opinion that the Afrikaans “potgooi” is not elegant and descriptive enough. If you have a more creative suggestion, please forward it to Jannie, email address, janniedb@mweb.co.za or to any editorial member.
You have listened to a bulletin of the South African Radio League, compiled by Gustav, ZS6BWN, and edited by Jannie, ZR6PHD.
Thank you for listening, 73.
/EX
