SARL NEWS - SUNDAY 11 MARCH 2012
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. 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 3,695 MHz SSB. (Other news readers change to suit).
In the news today:
JOIN THE SARL INTECNET TONIGHT AT 19:30
THE SUN PLAYS ITS TRICKS
SADC VISITORS TO SOUTH Africa - NEW APPEAL TO ICASA
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more details on these and other important and interesting items.
JOIN THE SARL INTECNET TONIGHT AT 19:30
The next interactive technical net or SARL Intecnet will be held tonight, Sunday evening 11 March, at 19:30 with Vincent Harrison, ZS6BTY, as guest speaker. The subject will be antennas. Vincent will look at HF antennas to work DX including dipoles, verticals and small beams. He will focus on the effect of the height above ground, radiation patterns and take off angles. He will also briefly touch on antennas for 80 and 160 metres. A PowerPoint presentation can be downloaded from www.sarl.org.za, click on Amateur Radio TODAY or click on the link at the end of this news item.
Clubs wishing to link their repeaters to the conference bridge should send details to artoday@sarl.org.za before noon today.
THE SUN PLAYS ITS TRICKS
During the past week there have been several solar flare warnings with severe solar storms impacting on the earth’s magnetic field.
As Earth's magnetic field reverberates from the impact of one CME on March 8th, a second CME is on the way. Big sunspot AR 1 429 unleashed an M6-class solar flare Friday, and the eruption hurled a cloud of plasma almost directly toward Earth. Forecasters say the CME could reach our planet during the late hours of last night or the early hours of today. Strong geomagnetic storms are possible when the cloud arrives. Check http://spaceweather.com for more information and updates.
SADC VISITORS TO SOUTH AFRICA - NEW APPEAL TO ICASA
For the past two years the SARL has been petitioning ICASA to set up a SADC arrangement similar to the CEPT licensing agreement which allows visiting amateurs from CEPT countries to operate in South Africa for up to three months. The same applies to class-A South African licensed amateurs visiting countries that have joined the CEPT agreement. ICASA agreed to take the request to CRASA, the Communication Regulators' Association of Southern Africa, which it did in December. It is now on the agenda of the March meeting.
At the recent ICASA/SARL liaison meeting the SARL requested ICASA to consider making an interim arrangement and allow licensed visiting radio Amateurs from SADC to operate in South Africa. In support of this the SARL told the committee that several SADC countries already provide this privilege to South African amateurs and that it would be a good neighbourly gesture to do the same. The ICASA delegates agreed with the request and have undertaken to take it to the ICASA Council for signing off. The SARL has formalised the proposal in writing and is awaiting a written response from the ICASA Council.
OPERATE ON FREQUENCIES YOUR ARE LICENSED FOR
During a recent contest it came to light that class B licensed radio amateurs were operating on frequencies which they are not licensed for. ZU licensees may operate on the following bands 80 and 40 metres, on 10 metres 28 050 – 28 150 and 28 300 – 28 500 kHz, on the 2 metre and 70 cm bands.
SARL OFFICE CLOSED
The SARL office will be closed during March as Mariska Faasen is overseas on holiday visiting family. Between Henry Chamberlain and Francois Botha they will attend to emails and telephone messages. Please send emails to the usual address admin@sarl.org.za.
ARRL HANDBOOK 2012 AND ANTENNA BOOK AVAILABLE FROM SAARDT
The SA Amateur Radio Development Trust has the ARRL 2012 Handbook and the new Antenna book available in hardcover for sale. To make use of the mail order facility visit www.amateurradio.org.za. There are also a number of other interesting titles available.
ZS2X 50 MHz BEACON HEARD IN FLORIDA
Tim Joubert, ZS2X, who operates the 50 MHz beacon on his property has received the following e-mail.
"A few six metre ops in South Florida K4MM EL97 and KE4WBO EL96 heard a FSK beacon signal on 50,007 MHz this morning at 1300 UT on 23 February 2012, with antenna headings towards ZS. The FSK signal was severely distorted by propagation Doppler. Neither K4MM nor KE4WBO were able to identify the beacon message. I believe that the signal may have been ZS2X/b. We will continue monitoring 50,007 MHz for more signals. 73 Terry Posey K4RX EM70."
2012 LEAP YEAR CHALLENGE
Only two logs were received for the 2012 Leap Year Challenge. Andrew Thompson, V51YJ, was active on 12 meters operating CW and made 468 QSOs. Damien Lagan, ZR6DBL, operated HF and VHF and made 8 QSOs.
Andrew is the winner and his SARL membership fee for 2012/13 will be paid for him. Congratulations Andrew.
You will now have to wait until 29 February 2016 for the next Leap Year Challenge and getting that date in your logbook!
EAST RAND CONSTRUCTION DAY
All radio amateurs and electronics enthusiasts are cordially invited to the ERB Construction day on Wednesday 21 March. Human Rights day is in the middle of the week. Don't waste a good day's fun. Go to the construction day. Everyone is WELCOME.
Details available on the ERB Website www.zs6erb.co.za.
Send mail to zs6erb@vodamail.co.za to book.
Payments are due by 15 March 2012.
Bookings are essential.
Take your own tools and soldering iron.
See you at the build.
PROPAGATION REPORT
Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the Solar activity is once again on the rise with huge sunspot 1 429 producing X class flares. There is a high possibility of further C and X class flares.
If you want to do your own frequency predictions the expected effective sunspot number for the week will be around 83, nearly double that of the previous week.
10 m is once again alive and well due to the higher solar activity. All the bands from 20 to 10 m will provide lots of DX fun with even some 6 m openings possible.
Please visit www.spaceweather.co.za for further information.
DIARY OF EVENTS
11 March – Intecnet at 19:30 CAT this evening.
17/18 March - SARL VHF/UHF Analogue/Digital contest.
30 March – Last day to submit items on regulatory issues for discussion with ICASA to artoday@sarl.org.za.
21 March - ZS6ERB construction day.
20 - 22 April SARL Convention in Pinetown.
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 17 760 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 17:30 UTC on 4 895 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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