SARL NEWS - SUNDAY 03 JULY 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.
GREAT YL DXer SILENT KEY
It has been learnt that one of the world's greatest YL DXers, Dianna Killeen, KB6NAN, became a Silent Key on 6th April 2011. She had been credited with many DXCC honors, took part in several DXpeditions to rare locations and acted as QSL manager for several TOP DXers.
She will be sadly missed by DXers and friends, worldwide.
(PAUSE)
In the news today:
AMATEUR RADIO EXAMINATION PROCESS AGREED
URGENT NOTICE TO ALL AMATEUR LICENSEES
SARL MEMBERSHIP AND THE FORUM
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more details on these and other important and interesting news items.
AMATEUR RADIO EXAMINATION PROCESS AGREED
The SARL and ICASA have revisited the Radio Examination Moderation Process. After each examination an SARL appointed moderator verifies the examination results and checks that all the marks are correctly computed and verifies that all questions are correctly marked. In a multiple choice examination the answer is either right or wrong. The examiner has no discretion. There are however at times marginal cases where the candidate scores a very high mark in one section but just misses to score the required minimum of 50% in the other section. It is in cases like this that the moderator reviews the answer papers and makes a recommendation to ICASA. In the last examination there were a few marginal cases which were relooked at and recommendations were made to ICASA which resulted in a few candidates now having passed. These candidates were informed of the process and the outcome.
The SARL is often asked to supply the percentage marks and not just the symbol. The SARL has discussed this with the authority but ICASA has decided to keep to the current arrangement of only supplying a candidate the symbols and not percentage marks.
URGENT NOTICE TO ALL AMATEUR LICENSEES
For the past few weeks we have repeated the following news item several times. The SARL is still receiving queries from radio amateurs about their licenses. Please share the following information with your radio amateur friends or point them to www.sarl.org.za.
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.
SARL MEMBERSHIP AND THE FORUM
Following a AGM resolution non members will no longer have access to the forum. This was implemented on 1 July. The full process will only be completed during July.
The SARL last month mailed membership invoices and members have responded well. The membership payment was due on 1 July. Members who have not paid will receive a message when they log onto the website. The data base that facilitates this is updated on a weekly basis. If you have paid and still get the message that your membership is still outstanding, wait 10 days and if it still appears when you log on, call the office at 011 675 2393 during office hours.
There may be several reasons why your payment was not credited to your account, often because on the bank transfer the name and/or callsign was not entered. The SARL receives many electronic transfers that cannot be identified. Please make sure that you give your name and or callsign on the electronic transfer document.
While the SARL encourages members to renew as soon as possible, the final cut off date is 31 August. On 1 September, if your membership is still unpaid, access to the members only pages of the web is blocked and also the access to the forum. Please renew promptly. We thank members who have already done so. We appreciate your support of the SARL and Amateur Radio.
A YEAR OF THE MOON IN 2½ MINUTES
And a new on-line time lapse video of the Moon produced by the Goddard Space Flight Centre's Scientific Visualization Studio compresses one month into 12 seconds and one year into 2,5 minutes. Constructed, using data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft, the video shows how the Moon wobbles in its orbit, the way that it changes in libration and axis tilt and its numerous phases. You will find the video at YouTube by taking the shortcut of tinyurl.com/3ffmhbe.
COMPETITION NEWS
DX ON 1,8 MHz?
From the desk of the SARL Awards Manager:
Most South Africans would not regard 1,8 MHz as a DX band. The majority of operators who are active on the band may never have heard a DX station there.
Raoul Coetzee, ZS1REC, has just proved them wrong. He has received a DXCC certificate for proving that he has contacted more than 100 countries on the band! Raoul became only the fifth South African and the first ZS1 to achieve the milestone.
Raoul operates from a small city lot, just a quarter wavelength in diameter. He uses wire antennas and modest power. However, a shrewd understanding of propagation and a lot of perseverance make up for the modest station. Raoul works in the electronics industry and has been active since the 1980s. He operates very little on other bands, and sticks mostly to Code.
ZS4 SPRINT RESULTS
The Sasolburg Radio Club is happy to report the results for the ZS4 Sprint. 15 logs and 1 check log were received. Top honors go to ZS4BFN with 114 points. Second is Marius Preston, ZS4MP, with 97 points. Third is Jaco le Roux, ZS3JLR, with 52 points. Congratulations to you.
HF PROPAGATION REPORT
Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the solar activity is expected to be at very low to low levels. Both Sunspots 1 242 and 1 243 are growing in the northern hemisphere and a 3rd sunspot appears to be forming in between them. There may be a chance for a C-Class flare.
For the people doing their own frequency predictions the expected effective sunspot number for the week will be about 25.
With the winter here 20 m will provide the best opportunities for DX followed by 30 m. There will be little chance of 15 m openings.
Please visit www.spaceweather.co.za for further information.
DIARY OF EVENTS
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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