SARL NEWS - SUNDAY 26 JUNE 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 'Amateur Radio Today' 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:
URGENT NOTICE TO ALL AMATEUR LICENSEES
THE SUN SHOWS WHO’S BOSS!
GEAR UP FOR THE ANNUAL SARL HF CONTESTS
RTA HEADS FOR DURBAN
HABEX BALLOON FLIGHT
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more details on these and other important and interesting news items.
URGENT NOTICE TO ALL AMATEUR LICENSEES
While we have covered this announcement in previous SARL News bulletins and it is available on the web, the SARL is still receiving calls from radio amateurs who find that their callsign has been allocated to another person. We therefore repeat the earlier announcement:
ICASA has cancelled over 34 000 radio licenses that have remained unpaid for the past 365 days. This includes all amateur radio licenses that are unpaid. Check that you have paid your license and if you do not have a valid printed license or an official receipt call ICASA at 011 566 3313 or 011 566 3319 between 08:30 - 16:00 Monday - Friday. PLEASE HAVE YOUR LICENSE NUMBER HANDY. If your amateur license was cancelled call now and ICASA will re-instate it if you can prove payment. If you have not paid, do so now using the information and account number on your last license.
THE SUN SHOWS WHO’S BOSS!
The Sun is doing strange things. Last we carried a story that said that scientists some years ago predicted that the Sun would move into solar maximum by around 2012. During this period there would be many intense flares and lots of sunspot activity. Now they are thinking that the opposite may be happening. According to three studies released in the United States on Tuesday 14 June, experts believe the familiar sunspot cycle may be shutting down and heading toward a pattern of inactivity unseen since the 17th century.
But last week the Sun reacted with revenge. The first day of southern winter began with a solar flare. Magnetic fields above sunspot complex 1 236 erupted during the early hours of June 21st, hurling a coronal mass ejection (CME) almost directly toward Earth. The incoming CME does not appear to be particularly potent; nevertheless, the cloud could trigger polar geomagnetic storms when it reaches Earth on or about June 23rd. Makes you wonder! The original story can be read on www.sarl.org.za, select Amateur Radio TODAY from the left hand menu.
GEAR UP FOR THE ANNUAL SARL HF CONTESTS
On the 7th August the annual SARL HF contest will take place. Get ready now to take part in this annual premier event. This is followed by the SARL CW HF contest on August 28. Trophies are awarded to winners in various categories of both contests. Some of the trophies have a long history. It will be prestigious to have your name engraved on the base of the trophy and to receive the trophy and miniature shield at the annual awards banquet. Various lucky draw prizes will be awarded to each person entering a log with 10 or more contacts.
Listeners are also reminded of various other contests coming up. The 3rd leg of the QRP contest will be held on 16 July followed by the 4th leg of the Club contest on the 27th July.
On August 9 the SARL YL Sprint takes place. The winning YL will receive a large display of flowers and chocolates. There will also be a lucky draw for YLs who submit a log.
On the 21st August is the 3rd leg of the Digital contest.
The SARL HF and Contest Manager, Geoff Levey, ZS6GRL, said that it would nice to hear all the "new amateurs" taking part in these contests. “It is an enjoyable experience and is a good way of gaining confidence and making contacts for the various awards that are available. You have all done the hard work to pass the exam, so come and have some fun on the air.”
Apart from the Lucky Draw prizes, it has been decided to also include some complimentary 1 year membership subscriptions to non SARL members who submit logs. Remember to stand a chance of winning a prize, you need to submit a log to the contest committee after each contest – it is “The “Right Thing To Do”
SARL WEB
The move to a new ISP has been more challenging than expected, mainly because of the many failures experienced during the past week by the current hosting company. Please bear with us. The current web will be transferred to a test site before finally being cut over. Once the process is completed you will be informed on SARL TODAY. The URL will however remain the same so no action is required from members and visitors to www.sarl.org.za.
RTA HEADS FOR DURBAN
The SARL Radio Technology in Action is heading for Durban on Saturday 30 July. It will be held at the School of Electrical, Electronics and Computer Engineering at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The programme will be available on the SARL web from next weekend.
NEW MEMBERS
The SARL welcomes the following new members:
ZS1MAC, Raymond Maclean;
ZS1CBT, Rean Theron;
ZS6CX, Glen Marshall and
ZS3OBS, Sutherland Amateur Radio Club.
We trust you will enjoy your association with SARL. Your membership strengthens the voice of amateur radio in south Africa.
To date 534 members have renewed. The new year starts on July 1, please send us your renewal as soon as possible. Invoices were mailed a few weeks ago.
CLUB ACTIVITIES AND CLUB NEWS
HABEX
At the Klerksdorp Hamfest to be held on the 2nd July 2011, the HABEX group will be launching a balloon for the occasion.
The launch is scheduled for 08:00 and will be from the Klerksdorp airfield.
The payload consists of a controller that will be running APRS on 144,850. Also in the payload will be a cross band repeater and running APRS. This repeater replaces the Parrot repeater run during a previous launch and which was a great success. The cross band repeater RX is 145,850 and TX is 437,850. There are no tones.
The group is also planning to incorporate an HF beacon on 40 m as well as a further APRS unit transmitting on 144,800. However, these are still to be confirmed.
Unfortunately, with the Hamfest being run at a different location, there will not be the normal echolink and live streaming facilities of the past. The team will however endeavour to be on HF while mobile as well as the Cross Band repeater.
Listeners are welcome to call in as well as monitor the flight on www.aprs-za.com or www.aprs.fi.
To view more information on this project, please visit the HABEX web site at www.habex.za.net. The website will also be updated regularly during the course of the week leading up to the 2nd July.
At the AGM of the West Rand Amateur Radio club, held on 11 June 2011 in Weltevredenpark, the following members were elected to its new committee:
Chairman Phillip van Tonder, ZS6PVT
Vice chairman Geoff Levey, ZS6GRL
Secretary Rory Crouch, ZS6RBJ
Treasurer Dave Cloete, ZR6AOC
Members Remeo Nardini, ZS6ARQ
Nico Vorster, ZS6NJV
Johan van Vuuren, ZS6JVV
Heather Holland, ZS6YE
Jess Hawes, ZS6YOT
SARL liaison and
PIO Willem Weideman, ZS6WWJ
Anode (newsletter) John Brock ZS6WL
Thanks to the retiring committee members and success to the new committee.
PROPAGATION REPORT
Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the solar activity is expected to be at low to moderate levels. Sunspot 1 240, located in the southern hemisphere, is slowly showing some growth. Another new region appears to be forming in the northern hemisphere. There is currently no chance for strong solar flares. For the people doing their own frequency predictions the expected effective sunspot number for the week will be about 44.
With the winter here 20 m will provide the best opportunities for DX followed by 30 m and also 15 m with some some sporadic openings.
Please visit www.spaceweather.co.za for further information.
DIARY OF EVENTS
02 July – Klerksdorp Hamfest and HABEX balloon flight at 08:00.
16 July – 3rd leg of SARL QRP Competition.
27 July – 4th leg of SARL Club Competition.
30 July – RTA in Durban.
07 Aug. - SARL HF Phone Competition.
09 Aug. - SARL YL Sprint.
21 Aug. - 3rd leg of SARL Digital Competition.
28 Aug. - SARL HF CW 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 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 'Amateur Radio TODAY', go down the green column and click on 'LISTEN ON THE WEB'. 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 George, ZS6NE.
Thank you for listening, 73.
/EX
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