SARL NEWS - SUNDAY 13 MAY 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 over 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 a relay on 3,695 MHz SSB. (Other news readers change to suit).
To all mothers listening today, we wish you happy mother’s day.
IN THE NEWS TODAY:
NATIONAL AMATEUR RADIO DAY 16 JUNE 2012
ANACAPA HIGH ALTITUDE BALLOON SOARS TO NEAR 112 000 FEET
RADIO MYANMAR INTERFERENCE ON 40 METERS
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more details on these and other important and interesting items.
NATIONAL AMATEUR RADIO DAY 16 JUNE 2012
The South Africa Radio League has named 16 June as National Amateur Radio Day, celebrating Amateur Radio as a National Resource and its diversity as the most exciting of all scientific hobbies.
The objective is to take amateur radio to the public by exhibiting and doing live demonstrations of the various aspects that make amateur radio great and a fun thing to be part of. It is planned that the activity be run from 09:00 - 14:00.
Individual participation.
All radio amateurs should participate. Here are some ideas what you as an individual can do:
Operate from a park near you using trees as antenna supports and operate. A simple dipole or inverted V will get you on 20 and 40 metres. You may not talk to the world but you will communicate with stations in Southern Africa. And if the band is open who knows who you will talk to. Get family members to help you distribute brochures about amateur radio and hand out buttons with an amateur radio slogan which are all available from the SARL.
Those who are stuck at home for what ever reason, you can still participate by getting on the air and talk to the demo stations.
Club Participation.
Set up a display at a busy shopping centre or large store like Incredible Connection, a Camping store or a large super market or in a park.
ON the AIR activities on National Amateur Radio Day will include the Youtday Sprint.
Supporting activities.
09:00 - 09:55 Young people talk about amateur radio.
10:00 - 12:00 Youth Day Sprint.
12:00 - 12:45 Senior Amateurs Remember.
Young people talk about amateur radio is a pre-recorded programme with young people talking about how they came into amateur radio and what it means to them. If you are under 25 send an email with your contact details to artoday@sarl.org.za to participate.
Youth Day Sprint.
This is a fun activity to Celebrate Youth Day and to promote contacts between young radio amateurs in Southern African countries.
Call "CQ Youth Day". Lots of prizes to be won by participants.
Senior Amateurs Remember is a pre-recorded programme with senior amateurs sharing their experience and unusual events in Amateur Radio. Audio files will be available to clubs to broadcast on HF and VHF. To take part send your contact details to artoday@sarl.org.za.
More details about all the National Amateur Radio activities will be mailed to members and clubs during next week and will be available on www.sarl.org.za.
ANACAPA HIGH ALTITUDE BALLOON SOARS TO NEAR 112 000 FEET
We're not sure if it's a new world altitude record for an amateur radio equipped high altitude balloon, but members of the Anacapa Near Space Exploration Club at California's Anacapa School are celebrating the recent success of their second near space probe, one that reached an altitude of almost 112 000 feet. Amateur Radio Newsline's Don Carlson, KQ6FM, has the rest of the story:
5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 - Go!!" That's the sound of a group of teenage near-space adventurers lofting a high altitude balloon that would soon soar above California's central coast and then eastward toward the state’s central valley.
Called Anacapa Amateur High-Altitude Balloon 2, a student team from the Anacapa School launched two payload capsules tethered to a weather balloon on Saturday, May 5th. Equipped with GPS, atmospheric sensors, high-definition video and still cameras, a television transmitter and a Geiger counter, the payload downlinked live data, video and images during its ascent.
Anacapa Amateur High-Altitude Balloon 2 was designed and built entirely by students. A great project for youth day this year.
RADIO MYANMAR INTERFERENCE ON 40 METERS
The South African Radio League HAMNET reports that Radio Myanmar has been found to be broadcasting illegally on 7,110 MHz. The station is transmitting using full carrier AM from 15:30 UTC every day and is causing interference on the emergency communications frequency.
Steps are being taken to issue a formal objection but this takes time and the correct procedures need to be followed. Meantime, South Africa's Hamnet emergency communications response group has sent an official complaint directly to Radio Myanmar and requested that it move frequency.
MUSEUMS DAY
National Museums Day is held annually in May.
To recognise this event the Zululand Amateur Radio Club will be operating as ZS5ZLB from the Nongqayi Fort in Eshowe on Sunday, 20th May 2012. Every station worked will receive the special QSL card which includes a photograph of the Fort - which now houses the Museum. If you work ZS5ZLB on this special day please send them a QSL card and enclose a SASE. Look out for them - mainly on 40 m.
ZARC will be demonstrating amateur radio to visitors to the function.
RADIO AMATEUR EXAMINATION NUMBERS ON THE WEB
We wish the 168 candidates who have registered to write the Radio Amateur Examination on Thursday 24 May well for the examination on Thursday 24 May. Candidates can look up their examination number and venue where the examination will be written on the web. Visit www.amateurradio.org.za/RAE.htm or link from the news item on the SARL home page on www.sarl.org.za.
The exam starts at 19:00 and candidates have three hours to complete the two sections of the examination. Candidates should report to the examination centre by 18:30 and bring their ID book or other suitable identification.
LOGBOOK OF THE WORLD REGISTRATION
If you are battling to register on LOTW or the snail mail option does not appeal to you, then Geoff Levey, ZS6GRL, would like to assist you in registering.
All you need to do is send Geoff a scanned copy of your licence and some form of identification, e.g. front page of your ID book or drivers licence. You should be up and running within 4 days after sending in your information.
Please make use of this offer and send your information to hfmanager@sarl.org.za.
PROPAGATION REPORT
Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the Solar activity is at moderate levels but will increase as one of the largest sunspots in years, 1476, makes it way across the visible solar disk. There will continue to be a chance for a major solar event from this huge sunspot.
If you want to do your own frequency predictions the expected effective sunspot number for the week will be around 69.
All the bands from 20 to 10 m will provide lots of DX fun with 15 m providing the best openings with 10 m not far behind.
Please visit www.spaceweather.co.za for further information.
DIARY OF EVENTS
Today 12th May - SA AMSAT space symposium; visit www.amsatsa.org.za for details and registration.
12/13 May- AWA Valve QSO party, 15:00 to 19:00 CAT.
13 May - Log sheets for ZS3 Sprint to to be in to ZS3 Sprint, PO Box 1049, Kathu, 8446 or by e-mail to zs3nc@qsl.net.
19 May - 14:00 PEARS AGM at the Italian Club, Charlo, Port Elizabeth with a boot sale prior to the AGM and a bring and braai afterwards.
20 May - National Museum Day: Zululand Radio Amateurs will broadcast from the Nongqayi Fort under callsign ZS5ZLB.
28 May - Logs for AWA Valve QSO party to be in to andyzs6ady@vodamail.co.za or AWA of Southern Africa, P O Box 12320; Benoryn 1504.
16 June – National Amateur Radio day between 09:00 and 16:00
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 17 570 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 3230 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 Johan Marais, ZU1JM, and George, ZS6NE, and also edited by George.
Thank you for listening, 73.
/EX
