SARL NEWS - SUNDAY 22 MAY 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.

In the news today:

You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more details on these and other important and interesting news items.

SOUTH AFRICA TO SUPPORT ALLOCATION AROUND 500 kHz

At the National Preparatory Working Group Meeting for the World Radio Conference 2012 held in Pretoria this week Hans van de Groenendaal, ZS6AKV, presented the SARL and IARU recommendation that method A, to satisfy Agenda item 1.23, be accepted as South Africa's position. Resolution 1.23 calls for the consideration of an allocation of 15 kHz in parts of the band 415 - 526,5 kHz to the amateur service on a secondary basis, taking into account the need to protect existing services.

Method A proposes a secondary allocation of up to 15 kHz to the amateur radio service on a world-wide basis between 472 and 487 kHz. A representative from the CAA pointed out that many non-directional beacons are operating in this band although according to ICASA only some are licensed and not in the proposed amateur allocation. He said that should the allocation be agreed to at the WRC12, these beacons could move to different frequencies.

It was agreed to take the recommendation to the SADC WRC12 meeting to be held in Botswana next week and, if accepted, will be tabled at the ATU meeting next month where it hopefully will receive their support for it to become an African block position.

The SARL is involved in the WRC12 National Preparatory Working Group to keep a watch over other agenda items that may have an impact on Amateur Radio and keeping the group informed about the IARU position on Agenda items.

For a copy of the SARL recommendation visit www.sarl.org.za and select the members' only pages.

BOB HEIL, K9EID, TO HEADLINE NEW INTERNET SHOW

On Tuesday, May 24, Bob Heil, K9EID - well known for his design of microphones - will premier a new net cast show on Leo Laporte's TwiT.tv website. Called HamNation, the show will focus on equipment, applications, tips and general information for Radio Amateurs. Heil's first guest will be rock star friend and fellow radio amateur Joe Walsh, WB6ACU. Walsh also wrote the theme music for the show. The show will be broadcast each week over the Internet at TWiT.tv at no cost. TWiT.tv is also available in iTunes.
"I have been a fan of Leo's for a long time and recently appeared on his Triangulation 8 show," Heil explained. "We had a blast, and much to my delight, he asked me to develop a show for and about ham radio. Since the early 1900s, much of the ham radio operators' focus has been on building and experimenting with their equipment. Many of today's radios are computer controlled, thus attracting new users to the hobby. Even in this day of instant Internet communications, ham radio is still the premier communication link, whether it's for storm spotters or talking to your friends around the globe. This new TWiT.tv show will bring the existing and new users together." More about the show in next week's SARLNEWS.

RADIO TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION HEADS FOR PE ON JUNE 4

The SARL Radio Technology in Action Symposium heads for Port Elizabeth on 4 June. It will be held on the NMMU south campus and is presented in co-operation with PEARS, the Port Elizabeth Amateur Radio Society. In the hi-tech slot of the programme John Willescroft, ZS6EF, will talk about Field Programmable Gate Arrays (to include an audio clip in your bulletin download it from www.amateurradio.org.za/FGPA.mp3). The full programme is available on www.sarl.org.za select RTA from the left hand menu.

1912 THE EVENT – COMMEMORATIVE STATION VK5MGY

The following from WIANEWS:

The Adelaide Hills Amateur Radio Society was approached by a group named "1912 the Event" to provide a CW operator for a commemorative station. This group is commemorating the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic in April 1912.

The Club have obtained the call VK5MGY from the ACMA. MGY was the call of the Titanic. The call will be in use for the next 12 months and we will produce a QSL card for contacts.

Keep your ear out for VK5MGY on the bands for the next 12 months.

Check out the event web site 1912theevent.com.

From the SARL news editor:
Interesting, the detector of the receiver on the Carpathia, by which the emergency call from the Titanic was received, was in the Telkom museum when the museum was still in Pretoria. We trust that it is still well looked after.

PROPAGATION REPORT

Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the solar activity is at low levels. Sunspot 1 208 turned away from Earth on the 18th, carried over the western edge of the solar disk by the sun's 27-day rotation. En route to the far side, the active region delivered a parting shot. The May 18th eruption was followed by another on May 19th; both hurled CMEs into space. The clouds will sail wide of Earth, continuing the recent spell of relatively quiet space weather around our planet. There is currently no chance for strong solar flares around any of the currently visible sunspot regions. For the people doing their own frequency predictions the expected effective sunspot number for the week is about 30.

15 m will provide the best opportunities for DX followed by 20 and 30 m and the WARC bands in-between, of course.

Please visit www.spaceweather.co.za for further information.

DIARY OF EVENTS

18 to 22 May - Follow Dayton Hamvention via W5KUB.com.
22 May -ZS4 Sprint from 14:00 till 15:00 UTC.
25 May - Closing date for nominations for NSN awards, visit www.amateurradio.org.za.
25 May - 3rd SARL 80 m Club contest 17:30 to 18:30 UTC.
4 June - RTA in Port Elizabeth at NMMU south campus.
18 June - Programming in Windows course in Gauteng. Book at www.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 Today every Sunday morning at 10:00 CAT on 145,750 MHz in the Pretoria area, with relays on 7 082, 7 205 and 17 750 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 18:30 CAT on 3 230 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 Gustav, ZS6BWN.

Thank you for listening, 73.
/EX


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