SARL NEWS - SUNDAY 28 AUGUST 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.
SILENT KEY
It is with regret that we have to announce that the key of Johan Fritz, ZS6NF, went silent on Wednesday 24 August in the age of 89 years. Our sincerest condolences to his children, grand children and many friends, especially those of the morning chat group on 3 and all the sixes.
(PAUSE)
In the news today:
NEW BREAKTHROUGH IN SUNSPOT PREDICTION
ICASA STILL PROCRASTINATING ON AMATEUR REGULATIONS
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more details on these and other important and interesting news items.
NEW BREAKTHROUGH IN SUNSPOT PREDICTION
A PhD student at Stanford University, Stathis Ilonidis, has found a way to detect sunspots before they are visible to the human eye. His findings could lead to significant advances in space weather forecasting.
Sunspots are the "butterfly's wings" of solar storms. Visible to the human eye as dark blemishes on the solar disk, sunspots are the starting points of explosive flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that sometimes hit our planet 150 million kilometers away.
Astronomers have been studying sunspots for more than 400 years, and they have pieced together their basic characteristics: Sunspots are planet-sized islands of magnetism that float in solar plasma. Although the details are still debated, researchers generally agree that sunspots are born deep inside the sun via the action of the sun’s inner magnetic dynamo. From there they bob to the top, carried upward by magnetic buoyancy; a sunspot emerging at the stellar surface is a bit like a submarine emerging from the ocean depths.
The analysis technique is called "time-distance helioseismology” It is similar to an approach widely used in earthquake studies. Just as seismic waves traveling through the body of Earth reveal what is inside the planet, acoustic waves traveling through the body of the sun can reveal what is inside the star.
Submerged sunspots have a detectable effect on the sun's inner acoustics—namely, sound waves travel faster through a sunspot than through the surrounding plasma. A big sunspot can leapfrog an acoustic wave by 12 to 16 seconds. By measuring these time differences, researchers can find the hidden sunspot.
There are limits to the technique, it is possible to forecast that a big sunspot is coming, but if a particular sunspot will produce an Earth-directed flare can not be predicted.
So far they have detected five emerging sunspots — four with SOHO and one with SDO. Of those five, two went on to produce X-class flares, the most powerful kind of solar explosion. This encourages the team to believe their technique can make a positive contribution to space weather forecasting.
ICASA STILL PROCRASTINATING ON AMATEUR REGULATIONS
ICASA has not yet finalised the corrections to the amateur radio regulations. A spokes person told the SARL this week that corrections to the regulations have been referred back to the Engineering Division. He also said that they are seeking an interim arrangement and approval from the Council to issue the outstanding ZU licenses.
The SARL earlier announced that students sitting the October RAE will be examined on the old regulations.
SARL WEB
The upgrading process is nearly complete. There is still some functionality that is not working as it should. This is being attended to and we expect to have resolved all issues by next weekend.
GAUTENG RTA ON SATURDAY 10 SEPTEMBER
The last SARL Radio Technology in Action Symposium will be held at the National Amateur Radio centre and the Sentech Conference centre on Saturday 10 September 2011. Put the date in your diary now. Get more details in next Sunday’s SARLNEWS or on the web after mid week.
COMPETITION NEWS
YOUTH SPRINT NEXT SATURDAY
The ZS6JVT Youth Sprint will be held on Saturday 3 September from 10:00 - 12:00 on 7 130 - 7 200 kHz. Contacts on other frequencies are not valid. Not more than 5 contacts may be made on any one frequency at a time. Stations must move around the frequency range for the contest but may return to a previous frequency.
The rules are available on www.sarl.org.za or visit www.hamradio.org.za for a copy of the rules and the lucky draw prizes.
Stations taking part should exchange a signals report and the operator's age. Scoring is in favour of radio amateurs under the age of 26 as follows: QSO between two stations that are under the age of 26 = 5 points. QSO between a station under 26 and a station over 26 - 3 points, QSO between two stations older than 26 = 1 point. QSO with ZS6JVT = 10 points.
Log should be sent to telesat@cybersmart.co.za or by snail mail to the JVT Youth Competition, Technical High School John Vorster, P O Box 31714, Totiusdal, 0134. Closing date for logs is 18 September 2011. Participants should include their email addresses.
Participants under 26 years of age who submit logs will take part in a lucky draw for two book prizes, the ARRL Basic Antenna Book, made available by the South African Amateur Radio Development Trust.
You are also invited to take part in a photographic competition. Send a high resolution picture of the participant operating during the ZS6JVT Youth Sprint to saardt@intekom.co.za before 15 September and you could also win the ARRL Basic Antenna book,
SARL HF CW CONTEST.
The HF CW Contest is on the air this afternoon from 15:00 to 18:00 CAT. Activity is on 20, 40 and 80 metres and the exchange is a RST report and a serial number starting at 001. There are four classes of participation - single operator single band, single operator all band, multi operator single band and multi operator all band. The rules can be found on page 62 of the SARL Contest Manual.
SARL YL SPRINT.
The committee received 14 logs (seven logs from ladies and seven logs from men) for the SARL YL Sprint held on 9 August.
1st Dawn Snyders, ZS5ME, 113 points
2nd Pam Momberg, ZS6APT, 111 points
3rd Collette Rundle, ZS2CR, 103 points
4th Heather Holland, ZS6YE, 102 points
5th Anette Jacobs, ZR6D, 89 points
6th Kempton Amateur Radio Technical Society, ZS6KTS, 60 points
7th Brinette Fourie, ZS6MZA, 32 points
CLUB NEWS
The Cape Town Amateur Radio Centre, ZS1CT, had a very successful operation during this year's International Lighthouse and Lightship weekend. Their lighthouse is the Green Point Cape Town lighthouse where they have active each year since 1999.
In all, 15 members came to operate and support the station and they worked well over 300 stations around the world, including many other lighthouses.
They had a visit from a local newspaper reporter who took many photos and interviews for an upcoming article on the public service and emergency preparation aspect of our hobby. Due to Green Point's ease of accessabiltity in central Cape Town, they had many people visiting them and who become exposed to our hobby.
PROPAGATION REPORT
Sorry, but we have not received our regular contribution this week. The best that can be done is to suggest that those of you who are really interested go to www.spaceweather.co.za for information.
DIARY OF EVENTS
Today 28 Aug. - SARL HF CW Competition.
Aug. - Send ideas about 2012 Radio Technology in Action symposiums to
rta@sarl.org.za.
Aug. - Send ideas about proposed youth forum to artoday@sarl.org.za.
3 Sept – ZS6JVT Youth Spring Sprint Competition from 10:00 till 12:00.
15 September – Last day to send a high resolution picture of the participant operating during the ZS6JVT Youth Sprint to saardt@intekom.co.za.
18 September - Last day to submit logs for the ZS6JVT Youth Spring Sprint 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 Gustav, Z6SBWN.
Thank you for listening, 73.
/EX
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