SARL NEWS - SUNDAY 20 JUNE 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 MHz FM from Pretoria (other news readers change to suit) with relays on 7 066 kHz and 3 695 kHz SSB.
SILENT KEY
It is with deep regret that the passing away of Johan 'Krit' Kritzinger, ZU4JK, on Sunday 10 June 2012 is announced. We extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends.
(PAUSE)
In the news today:
SARL ROADMAP PRESENTED TO ICASA
GOOD NEWS FOR SADC VISITORS
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more details on these items and other important and interesting items.
SARL ROADMAP PRESENTED TO ICASA
The SARL presented the Roadmap to regulatory reform to ICASA at the quarterly liaison meeting held last week Thursday. It was briefly discussed and agreed to set up a working group to consider the various aspects tabled in the document.
The roadmap deals with the:
Corrections to the current regulations,
Operating privileges for visitors from SADC countries,
Quick access to 600 kHz,
Amateur allocation at 5 MHz,
Expansion of the 160 metre band and
Increased output power limits.
A copy of the SARL proposal to ICASA is available at www.sarl.org.za.
Amateurs wishing to comment on the document should send an email to artoday@sarl.org.za.
The first meeting of the work group will be held in July.
GOOD NEWS FOR SADC VISITORS
The SARL would like to have an agreement in place similar to the CEPT one. Meanwhile ICASA has advised the SARL that, while such a proposal is under discussion, visitors who hold a valid amateur radio license in a SADC country, may apply for temporary authorisation to operate in South Africa. A copy of his license and the period to be spent in South Africa, must be presented. His request must be sent to KMashile@icasa.org.za as well as admin@sarl.org.za. The turn around time will be approximately 48 hours.
SKA TO FEATURE ON THE INTECNET TONIGHT
Prof Justin Jonas of the SKA team will be the guest on the next Interactive Technical Net (INTECNET) tonight, Sunday 17 June. The net will start at 19:30. Prof Jonas will talk about what part of the SKA will come to South Africa and highlight the science that will be done. He will also participate in an interactive session and answer questions from radio amateurs around the country.
125 CANDIDATES PASSED THE RAE IN MAY
A total number of 144 candidates wrote the amateur radio examination class A in May this year. The pass rate was 81% with 116 candidates passing the examination. 10 candidates wrote the class B examination, of which 9 candidates passed.
Highest marks of 94% was achieved by 2 candidates: B Jakovljevic, ZS6BAT, and HC Von Stockhausen, ZS6VST.
The youngest candidate to sit the examination was 11 years old. He is GJ du Toit with the call sign ZU5GDT.
All candidates who have passed and received their curator ad litem signs, may go on the air and do not have to wait for the official license documents, which may take a few weeks to be processed. The results are published on www.sarl.org.za and the letters have been mailed.
All successful candidates, who submit an application form to the SARL, will receive a complimentary membership of the SARL for one year. The membership includes full excess to Radio ZS on the web and all other membership services such as the QSL bureau.
There are a few candidates who have not submitted the HF evaluation documents. They will only receive their curator ad litem signs once the paperwork has been received by the SARL.
INVITATION FOR ARRL/TAPR DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS CONFERENCE
Amateurs are invited to submit technical papers for presentation at the 31st Annual ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference to be held from 21 to 23 September 2012 at the Sheraton Gateway Airport Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia. Papers will also be published in the Conference Proceedings (you do not need to attend the conference to have your paper included in the Proceedings). The submission deadline is July 31. Please send papers to Maty Weinberg at maty@arrl.org. For more information about the conference visit www.tapr.org/dcc.
REPEATER WORK GROUP MEETS ON 23 JUNE
The SARL Repeater manager, Frik Wolff, ZS6FZ, reports that several clubs and repeater group have responded to an invitation for all division 6 clubs to send their representative to the repeater work group meeting to be held at the National Amateur Radio Centre (NARC) on Saturday 23 June at 09:00.
To assist with catering arrangements, please send details of who will be attending to vubandplanning@sarl.org.za if you have not already done so.
WHO'S WHO ON VHF AND UHF?
A comprehensive data base is currently being prepared of all the VHF and UHF amateurs who are equipped for VHF and UHF operation, and specifying all those who are currently active on 50, 70, 144, 432 and 1 296 MHz. All amateurs in South Africa and the neighbouring states are invited to submit their details, irrespective whether they are members of the SARL or not. The following information is required: Full name, cell or landline number, city or town, call sign, locator, power and type of antenna equipped for on each band, which bands you are currently active on and the transmission modes used.
Please help to prepare and update an accurate list of VHF/UHF amateurs in Southern Africa, and make an effort to submit your data and/or those of your friends as it will be of great value to the VHF fraternity. You could post your details on the VHF Forums, zsvhf mailman list, via cell on 084 612 9600, landline at 041 581 2425 or e-mail to mcbosch@webafrica.org.za.
CONTEST NEWS
Today 17 June is World QRP Day and radio amateurs are encouraged to operate using low power. You will be pleasantly surprised with the results you can achieve using 5 watts or less on the bands. Give it a try!
SARL TOP BAND QSO PARTY.
This is a fun activity to promote contacts on 160 metres between radio amateurs in Southern African countries and to encourage radio amateurs to apply for the SARL Top Band Award. The event is open to all licensed amateurs that have access to the 160 metre band.
The QSO party will run from 00:00 (Zero hours) UTC or 02:00 CAT on Thursday 21 June to 00:00 (Zero hours) UTC or 02:00 CAT on Monday 25 June. You may use CW and phone during the QSO Party on the following frequencies - CW from1 810 to 1 838 kHz and Phone from 1 840 to 1 850 kHz.
The exchange is a RS(T) report and provincial or country abbreviation. Following the QSO, the station must change the dial frequency by at least 2 kHz for the next QSO, unless a period of 10 minutes has lapsed between contacts. The frequency of each QSO must be shown on the log sheet.
Each station can be worked once on Phone and once on again on CW. Each contact will count three (3) points and five (5) additional bonus points will be awarded for each South African call area and each DXCC country worked. Total Score = (Total QSO points) plus (Bonus points).
Log sheets must be submitted by Monday 2 July to the West Rand Amateur Radio Club, PO Box 5344, Weltevreden Park, 1725 or sent by e-mail to contest@sarl.org.za.
PEARS FUN CONTEST
The Port Elizabeth amateur radio club held a fun contest on 26th May. There was only 1 winner, Gerrit, ZS2XD, with 54 QSO’s and a total of 675 points. Congratulations Gerrit!
WEST RAND FLEA MARKET
The West Rand Amateur Radio Club is hosting its next flea market on Saturday 30 June at 12:00 at the clubhouse in Kroton Street, Weltevredenpark, Roodepoort. Everyone is very welcome. For more information, contact Phillip, ZS6PVT, at 083 267 3835.
PROPAGATION REPORT
Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the Solar activity is at moderate levels. Sunspot 1 504 continues to expand into a large sized sunspot cluster and now spans the size of at least 4 planet Earths. This sunspot now harbours enough energy to produce X-class flares.
If you want to do your own frequency predictions, the expected effective sunspot number for the week will be around 90.
Amateurs will have fun on the bands from 20 to 10 meter, which will provide lots of DX with 15 m providing the best openings and 20 meter not far behind. 10 meter openings will be less frequent and mostly on east-west paths.
Please visit www.spaceweather.co.za for further information.
DIARY OF EVENTS
17 June – Today, top band QSO-party, all day.
17 June – This evening at 17:30, Intechnet about the SKA with Prof. Justin Jonas as guest speaker.
23 June – Repeater group meeting at 09:00 at the NARC.
30 June – West Rand flea market starting at 12:00 at Kroton Street. For more information, contact Phillip, ZS6PVT, at 083 267 3835
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 145,725 MHz in the Pretoria area, with relays on 7 082, 7 205 and 17 760 kHz. There is also a podcast by Dirk, 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 Flip Britz, ZS4GE/6, and edited by George Honiball, ZS6NE.
Thank you for listening. 73.
/EX
