SARL NEWS - SUNDAY 9 JANUARY 2011
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 also 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.
SILENT KEYS
It is with regret that it has to be announced that the keys of two radio amateurs became silent recently, they are:
Flip Louw, ZS6BSI, brother of Willem, ZS6BPD, early on Monday 3 January 2011. Flip leaves his YL Poppie.
J Theron, ZS6JMT, of the East Rand Radio Club, also on 2 January 2011 in Springs.
To their relatives and friends, our sincerest sympathies.
(PAUSE)
In the news today:
JOIN THE SARL FOR ONLY R200
SA AMSAT CUBESAT PROJECT NEEDS PROGRAMMERS
AMATEUR ACTIVITY MORNING AT THE NARC
HOST AN AMATEUR RADIO STATION AT SUN CITY
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more details on these and other important and interesting news items.
JOIN THE SARL FOR ONLY R200
We invite non-members to get six months’ membership of the SARL for only R200. All new applicants will also receive the November/December issue of Radio ZS. Download application forms from www.sarl.org.za. Applications will be processed from 12 January when the national office reopens. Persons who have not renewed their current membership are excluded from this offer.
All applications received by 15 January 2011 will be entered into the Lucky Membership draw for the chance of winning one of two 2011/2012 SARL memberships. The draw will take place at the NARC on 15 January at noon. Get your applications in or bring them on Saturday 15 January 2011.
SA AMSAT CUBESAT PROJECT NEEDS PROGRAMMERS
The development team for the planned South African CubeSat project is taking shape nicely. Amateurs with diverse specialist skills are offering their expertise from all over. "However, we still need a person with experience in programming PIC or 8051 microprocessors," Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, told SARL News.
"This person will be a critical member of the team and will be responsible for the development of the onboard controller software. Other amateurs who are interested in the development of the satellite and would like to join the development team are still welcome to send their Amateur Radio CVs to saamsat@intekom.co.za," Hannes said.
There will be an informal discussion at the SA AMSAT Satellite Forum at the NARC on Saturday 15 January at 10:00. The team will meet for its first formal teleconference on Wednesday evening 26 January 2011 at 20:00. Team members will receive a formal notification. Eddie, ZS6BNE, will show how to build a simple satellite antenna.
AMATEUR ACTIVITY MORNING AT THE NARC
There will be a number of events at the NARC on Saturday 15 January 2011 from 10:00. Besides the Satellite Forum, you can come and look at the Space Weather Monitor or try out D-STAR communication with the D-Star repeater being installed at the NARC. A number of books on amateur radio will also be on sale. To see a list of available books, go to www.amateurradio.org.za/books.htm. Books can be ordered online and paid for and collected at the NARC on Saturday or can be purchased in cash. No card facilities are available for book sales.
If you are not a member of the SARL yet, use the opportunity to sign up for R200 and enter a competition in which free memberships can be won.
HOST AN AMATEUR RADIO STATION AT SUN CITY
Radio clubs are invited to submit proposals to set up an HF and VHF amateur radio station at the IARU Region 1 Conference at Sun City. The conference will run from 11 to 19 August 2011 with delegates arriving on 12 August. The special call sign will be ZS11IARU and will be operational for the week.
The hosting club must provide a portable tower with an HF beam complete with rotator and cables, inverted V antennas for 40 and 80 metres, 70 cm and 2 m antennas, and at least one full-time operator to oversee activity. All delegates who are licensed in their own country will receive automatic permission to operate while in South Africa for the conference. Radio equipment will be supplied if required.
Full board and accommodation for two persons sharing will be provided for the duration of the event.
If your club can undertake the project, please email details of how you will execute the project, experience of the operator or operators and the person who will oversee the project to iaru2011@sarl.org.za by 28 February 2011. Please include contact telephone numbers.
CONTEST NEWS
The PEARS National VHF/UHF contest will take place on 21 to 23 January 2011. It is open to all licensed amateurs in South Africa and the neighbouring states of Namibia (V5), Botswana (A2), Zimbabwe (Z2), Mozambique (9), Lesotho (7P), and Swaziland (3DA). Only contacts with these states will count.
The aim of a VHF/UHF contest is to make many long-distance contacts, establish new records, encourage the improvement of equipment and have fun. This is a 44-hour dual contest for digital and analogue modes. Amateurs are requested to participate in both contests if possible and thus keep the bands alive. Activity will take place on 6, 4 and 2 metres as well as on 70 and 23 cm using FM, SSB and digital modes.
The first 22-hour session of the VHF/UHF contest starts at 18:00 CAT on Friday 21 January and closes at 16:00 CAT on Saturday 22 January. The second 22-hour leg starts at 16:01 CAT on Saturday 22 January and ends at 14:00 CAT on Sunday 23 January.
A valid contact consists of an exchange of call signs, signal reports and location such as the six-digit Maidenhead Locator or co-ordinates. Participation can be as a Base station, a Field station, a Club or Multi-Operator station or a Limited Category station. The complete rules can be found in the 2011 SARL Contest Manual and on the PEARS website at www.zs2pe.co.za/Contests/vuhf.htm.
SARL 80-METRE CLUB CONTEST
Only four logs were received for the November leg of the SARL 80 metre Club Contest. The Antique Wireless Association submitted two logs and 12 points, taking first place, the West Rand ARC submitted two logs with 10 points.
The overall results for all six legs are: 1st West Rand ARC, 341 points and 32 logs; 2nd ZS Contest Group, 186 points and 7 logs; 3rd The Antique Wireless Association, 166 points with 15 logs.
SARL NATIONAL FIELD DAY
The contest committee received 19 logs for the November SARL National Field Day made up of two single operators, 11 multi-operators and six general stations. The results are as follows:
Single operator
1st Johan de Witt, ZR5JF, 17 520 points
2nd Eddie Leighton, ZS6BNE, 6 075 points
Multi-operator
1st West Rand ARC, ZS6WR, 72 180 points
2nd Sasolburg ARC, ZS4SRK, 71 060 points
3rd Sandton ARC, ZS6STN, 65 900 points
General
1st Philip Esterhuizen, ZS4PJ, 62 010 points
2nd Pierre van Deventer, ZS6BB, 50 112 points
3rd Anton de Beer, ZR6ATN, 22 752 points
The complete and combined results will be published in HF Happenings during the week.
YOUNG AMATEURS CONTEST
YACHT, the Young Amateurs Contest Ham Team, once again invites all South African radio amateurs, especially young people, to participate in their weekly Echolink Youth Roundtable. From the 9th of January the new time is 21:00 CAT on Sundays, Echolink node 481872, the W8PIF repeater in Menominee, Michigan.
PROPAGATION REPORT
Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the solar activity is still at low levels. Sunspots 1 140 and 1 142 remain visible although Sunspot 1 142 is rapidly fading away. 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 afternoons conditions will be fair towards Europe on 15 m, later to be followed by fair 20 m openings. Early evening 15 m contacts with the USA are possible. Contacts with Australia are possible on 20 m at sunrise and during the afternoons. 15 and especially 20 m openings to Brazil and South America are possible during the afternoons. With the good 15 and 20 m openings, 17 m will 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, 40 m is the workhorse for contacts around the country with 20 and 30 m also being very useful for contacts over the longer distances. 80 m will be best during the early mornings and late afternoons and also 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
15 January – Satellite forum and other activities day at the NARC, starting at 10:00.
20 January 2011 – Closing date for submission for application for the May 2011 RAE bursaries; visit www.amateurradio.org.za for application forms.
20 January - Closing date for submission of proposals and synopses of papers for 2011 SA AMSAT Space Symposium to saamsat@intekom.co.za.
20 January – Cubesat project team teleconference at 20:00.
21/32 January – PEARS VHF/UHF contest.
30 January 2011 - Closing date for phase 1 of the construction competition.
28 February – Offers to host a station at Sun City during IARU Region conference to be in to iaru2011@sarl.org.za.
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 17 560 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.
You have listened to a bulletin of the South African Radio League, compiled by Hester van der Walt.
Thank you for listening, 73.
/EX
