SARL NEWS - SUNDAY 5 AUGUST 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 with relays on 7 066 and 3 695 kHz SSB. (Other news readers change to suit).
SILENT KEY
It is with regret that we have to announce that the key of Clive Bean, ZS6AVP, went silent on Wednesday morning at 06:45 after a long struggle with cancer.
Our sincerest condolences to his relatives and many friends.
(PAUSE)
In the news today:
BOOK NOW FOR THE RTA IN GAUTENG ON 18 AUGUST
A LOOK AT THE UPCOMING WRC 2015
SARL HF CONTEST
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more details on these items and other important and interesting items.
BOOK NOW FOR THE RTA IN GAUTENG ON 18 AUGUST
Bookings have opened for the Radio Technology in Action Symposium to be held at the National Amateur Radio Centre on Saturday 18 August. Full details of the symposium are available on line at www.sarl.org.za. Eddie Leighton, ZS6BNE, joins the RTA team on 18 August with a presentation about RaDAR, Rapid Deployed Amateur Radio. It is a fun presentation with hints and kinks how to fun from outdoor amateur radio.
If you pre book you will automatically take part in a prize draw for the ARRL Book "Basic Antennas". If you like a programme to be sent to your inbox send an email to rta@sarl.org.za with RTA NARC in the subject line and a PDF copy will be mailed to you.
A LOOK AT THE UPCOMING WRC 2015
A proposed permanent secondary allocation to the amateur service at or near 5 MHz is among the agenda items for the World Radio Communication Conference in 2015.
There are numerous items on the 2015 World Radio Communications meeting agenda, as spelled out at the end of the recently concluded 2012 conference. One is the proposal for a possible new allocation to the amateur service on a secondary basis within the band 5,250 to 5,450 MHz. The International Amateur Radio Union has described such an allocation as being among the best for radio amateurs to use to provide around the clock emergency communications. So far, little has been heard in public in the way of objections.
The SARL has applied for a license for pilot operation on 5 MHz for propagation experimentation purposes. ICASA recently told the SARL that the agency is looking at suitable frequencies and expects to make a decision soon.
DO YOU HAVE BACK COPIES OF RADIO ZS?
The SARL is in the process of binding Radio ZS in book form but has some copies missing. If you have, and can spare the following editions, please contact Francois, ZS6BUU, on 011 679 5260
2003 Mar/Apr, May/Jun, Jul/Aug, Sep/Oct
2004 Jan/Feb. Mar/Apr, May/Jun
2009 Sep/Oct, Nov/Dec
2010 Sep/Oct, Nov/Dec
2011 May/Jun, Jul/Aug.
SARL HF CONTEST
The SARL HF Contest will take place today from 15:00 to 18:30 CAT. Get the full details in the SARL Update mailed to your inbox a few days ago or visit www.sarl.org.za.
Besides the certificate and trophies there are some additional prizes to be won. The winner will receive a 2012 ARRL Handbook. All logs will be entered into the lucky draw of an ARRL book "Basic Antennas". There is also a best shack photograph competition. Send in a high resolution photograph of you operating in your shack and you will go into the draw for an ARRL Antenna Book. Send the picture to saardt@intekom.co.za.
SWAINS ISLAND DXPEDITION
Barry, ZS1FJ, reported to SARL News that he is a team member of the Swains Island DXpedition from 5 - 19 September. There are 20 operators, 16 American, 1 Swede, 2 Germans and 1 South African. Swains Island is very rare and is no 30 on the world's most wanted list.
It is important that ZS stations who want to work KH8S should inform Barry of the beam headings from that part of the Pacific to ZS. The team has a target of 300 QSOs worked per hour! Barry also requires the times of the day in UTC time when you would expect to hear KH8S. This is vital. Contact Barry by email to bf207@starhub.net.sg.
The team will fly from Honolulu to Pago Pago in American Samoa and then sail on a chartered boat for a 24 hour trip to Swains Island. There is no communication whatsoever. They will operate there with seven stations. After that, the boat picks up the team and returns to Pago Pago and they fly back to Honolulu. The team will be in tents and have two cooks who come with from Pago Pago.
Barry says he is taking a South African flag for ZS1FJ and a Singapore flag for his 9V1FJ call.
Logs are uploaded daily by satellite. If you have a PC system with Clublog, you will see the picture and name of the operator. The DXpedition website is www.nh8s.org.
IVICA CVETKOVIC, YU1YU, ELECTED PRIME MINISTER OF SERBIA
Former Serbian Internal Affairs Minister Ivica Dacic;, YU1YU, was elected as that country's newest Prime Minister on July 27. He succeeds Mirko Cvetkovic who served as Serbia's Prime Minister from 2008-2012. Dacic is the leader of the Socialist Party of Serbia; from 2008 until his election as Prime Minister, he served as First Deputy Prime Minister, as well as Minister of Internal Affairs. In March 2012, Serbia became a candidate for membership in the European Union (EU).
Dacic is a member of the Amateur Radio Union of Serbia (SRS), Serbia's IARU Member-Society and is said to be a member of his local club, YU1AAV. The club was founded in 1978 as one of nine sections of the Novi Beograd (New Belgrade) Amateur Radio Club, YU1FJK. According to its website, YU1AAV's primary goal has been to teach kids Morse code and Amateur Radio Direction Finding skills: "The 1990s brought us war, sanctions and social crises, but it also brought the good opportunity to move kids from the streets to learn ham radio. These were the years when the most kids from neighborhood finished the course to get their basic ham license."
Prior to his election as Prime Minister, Dačić served as the spokesman for the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) from 1992-2000; he has served as president of the SPS since December 2006. He holds a degree in political science from the University of Belgrade. Fluent in both Russian and English, Dacic is 46, married and the father of two children.
WIN A HUGE ARRANGEMENT OF FLOWERS IN THE YL SPRINT
To celebrate Woman's Day, the SARL is holding its annual YL Sprint on 9 August 2012 from 11:00 to 12:00 CAT. The logs from all YL participating in the event will be entered into the lucky draw for a beautiful flower arrangement to be delivered to the winner's home. To qualify please include your home address in the log submission.
The exchange is a signal report and YL or OM. The sprint takes place in the 40-metre band, 7060 to 7100 and 7130 to 7200 kHz. Contacts between YL stations are worth 5 points. Contacts between YL and OM stations are worth 3 points and contacts between OM stations are worth 1 point.
Log sheets and summaries shall be submitted within 7 days after the contest, by e-mail to zs4bfn@netactive.co.za or by mail to the Bloemfontein RAC, Box 12104, Brandhof, 9324.
Closing Date for Log Submission: 16 August 2012.
HAVE YOU RENEWED YOUR SUBSCRIPTION OF THE SARL?
If you have not yet renewed your subscription for the current year, please do so urgently to avoid loosing membership benefits. Invoices were mailed during June and were due for payment on 1 July. If you did not receive an invoice or have mislaid it, please call Mariska on Monday at 011 675 2393 or mail her at admin@sarl.org.za.
PROPAGATION REPORT
Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the week's expected solar activity will be at low to moderate levels. There are currently many sunspot regions visible but none are posing a threat for strong solar flares.
If you want to do your own frequency predictions, the expected effective sunspot number for the week will be around 95.
All the bands from 20 to 10 m will provide lots of DX fun with 15 m providing the best openings with 20 m not far behind. 10 m openings will be more frequent due to the higher solar activity.
For the afternoon's SARL SSB contest it will be best to start on 20 m as contacts between all the divisions will be possible. Later in the afternoon 40 m will be best before the day can be ended on 80 m.
Please visit www.spaceweather.co.za for further information.
DIARY OF EVENTS
5 August – That is this afternoon, SARL HF competition, 13:00 to 16:30 UTC.
5 August – YL Sprint from 11:00 to 12:00 CAT.
15 August - ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS AMENDMENT BILL, last date to send comments to the SARL by email to secretary@sarl.org.za.
16 August – Last day to submit logs for the YL Sprint to zs4bfn@netactive.co.za or Bloemfontein RAC, Box 12104, Brandhof, 9324.
18 August - RTA in GAUTENG, pre-book now to also enter for an additional prize draw.
19 August - SARL HF digital competition.
26 August - 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 17 760 kHz. There is also a podcast by Dick, 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 George Honiball, ZS6NE.
Thank you for listening. 73.
/EX
