SARL NEWS SUNDAY 03 February 2013
You are listening to ZS6SRL, the official radio station of the South African Radio League, the national body for amateur radio in South Africa. The SARL broadcasts 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 there to receive future bulletins by e-mail.
Your newsreader this morning is (name), (call sign), on 145,725 from Pretoria, with relays on 7,066 MHz and 3,695 MHz SSB. (Other news readers change to suit).
SILENT KEY
It is with regret that we announce that the key of Franz Taschl, call sign ZS6EU, went silent on 11 January 2013 in Austria.
We extend sincere condolences to the family and friends of Franz.
(PAUSE)
IN THE NEWS TODAY:
WHERE HAVE ALL THE YOUNG RADIO AMATEURS GONE?
THE SARL REGULATORY WORKGROUP HELD ITS FIRST MEETING TO PREPARE COMMENT ON TWO REGULATORY ISSUES
SARL AWARDS AND HOW TO NOMINATE
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more details on these and other important and interesting items.
WHERE HAVE ALL THE YOUNG RADIO AMATEURS GONE?
The SARL is planning a special feature between 09:00 and 10:00 on Saturday 23 February to celebrate the 2013 Youth Sprint which will run from 10:00 - 12:00 CAT but to do this we need your voices. You need to tell us why you became and radio amateurs and how you are enjoying. Tell us what is cool about being a radio amateur?
The SARL will be making voice recordings between 13 and 16 February. Send your details and telephone number to youth@sarl.org.za and tell us which of the evenings between 20:00 and 21:00 you will be available. Club chairmen don't let your club be left out in the cold! Encourage your young members to share their passion.
THE SARL REGULATORY WORKGROUP HELD ITS FIRST MEETING TO PREPARE COMMENT ON TWO REGULATORY ISSUES
The SARL Regulatory Workgroup (SRWG) held its first meeting on Thursday last week to discuss the SARL's comments on two government gazettes covering regulatory issues that affect amateur radio. The SRWG discussed the second draft of the Frequency Migration Regulations and is currently formulating the SARL response to ICASA. The frequencies in question are in the SHF region used for amateur satellites, amateur Wi-Fi applications and repeater linking.
The Workgroup also scrutinised the draft table of frequency allocations and will petition ICASA to consider expansion of the 160 metre band. It is still too early to put forward a 5 MHz allocation as this will be on the agenda of the WRC15. The SARL will however continue with it request for the allocation of two channels in the 5 MHz range for experimental and test purpose with the objective to support the WRC15 agenda item with the results of the propagation studies. In a recent email from ICASA they indicated that they are currently going through the licensing approval process. Stay tuned for details on SARLNEWS and on www.sarl.org.za. The Workgroup also came across some minor anomalies which will be pointed out in the SARL's comments to ICASA.
The final documents, once completed will be made available on www.sarl.org.za, select Amateur Radio Today and follow the links from there to the SRWG page.
On a general note the SRWG also discussed interference caused by radio amateurs in the top end of the 10 metre band. The frequencies between 29,7 and 30 MHz are shared with a number of other users.
This portion of the band is available to radio amateurs for disaster communication exercises and during real emergencies. Please do not use this portion for general communication as it is shared with other users who are restricted to very low power. Radio amateurs may not cause interference. Please show the real amateur spirit.
GAREC 2013 TO BE IN GENEVA JUNE 25 - 28
IARU Region One has announced that this year's Global Amateur Radio Emergency Conference or GAREC 2013 will be held in Zurich, Switzerland from June 25th to 28th. Among the draft topics to be discussed are the relevance of Amateur Radio Emergency Communication in the '1st World,' and the HAMNET high speed data network. There will also be presentations from the three regions of the IARU and talks by groups with recent experience in disaster relief communications.
General information on GAREC 2013 including information on the venue, registration fees and the tentative agenda and the registration forms is now available on line at www.garec2013.ch. This website will be updated frequently to keep all updated with the latest news and programme changes. You may also email to info.garec2013.ch for updates. It should be noted that this year's conference has been timed to precede Europe's largest amateur radio exhibition, HAM RADIO in Friedrichshafen. Germany. This is so that people can attend both events.
SARL AWARDS AND HOW TO NOMINATE
The closing date for nomination for SARL awards is 15 February 2013. Details of the various awards were published in SARL Newsletter sent to all members by email in January 2013.
How to nominate?
The Council of the SARL and the SARL Awards Manager will meet on 22 and 23 February for the annual strategy indaba. This is when the nominations are evaluated. When submitting a nomination, please give as much detail as possible. Remember that the persons reviewing the nomination may not know the person and what he or she has achieved. It is up to the nominator/club to convince in their submission that the nominee is worthy of the award. Rather submit too much than too little information.
Mail nominations as soon as possible, but not later than 15 February, to secretary@sarl.org.za. By sending in nominations early will give the secretary an opportunity to ask for more details should this be required. The awards will be presented at the annual awards dinner on Saturday 27 April 2013 in Gauteng.
ANOTHER SOUTH AFRICAN ELECTED TO THE FOC
Only the third South African has been elected as a member of the ‘First Class CW Operator Club’.
The honour befell Raoul Coetzee, ZS1REC, last week when he was welcomed as a member of the elite club of Morse code operators. The international club, which was founded in 1938, has only about 500 members world wide. Only two other South African operators are members of the club, they are Vide Le Grange, ZS1EL, and Al Smith, ZS1AAX.
To become a member of the club is really an exceptional achievement and not an easy task. Congratulations to Raoul.
For môre information on this Morse code club, and how to become a member, visit www.g4foc.org/.
The SARL welcomes the following radio amateurs as new members to the league:
Harold Krause, ZS6CAR;
Marthinus Venter, ZS6TIN;
Christo Pietersen, ZU6CAT;
Rayne Meyer, ZS1RM.
SARL membership now stands at 1 677.
We trust that you will have a long and happy relationship with us.
CONTEST NEWS
The February leg of the 2013 SARL National Field Day will be run next weekend, starting at 10:00 UTC on Saturday 9 February and ending 24 hours later. Stations may work CW, SSB and digital modes on 160 to 10 metres, excluding the WARC bands, and the exchange is the number of transmitters, the class of participation and the provincial abbreviation.
There are six classes of participation to choose from for the weekend. This is an ideal weekend for a Club outing and operating with portable power.
The rules have been changed for 2013, so read the new rules in the 2013 SARL Contest Manual.
CLUB NEWS
The Bloemfontein ARC is preparing for RAE classes for the May RAE. Persons interested in attending the classes can contact Warren, ZS4W, by e-mail to zs4whiskey@mweb.co.za.
PROPAGATION REPORT
Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the solar activity is expected to continue at low to very low levels. None of the currently visible sunspots are actively flaring.
If you want to do your own frequency predictions, the expected effective sunspot number for the week will be around 44.
All the bands from 20 to 10 m will provide lots of DX fun with 20 m providing the best openings with 15 m not far behind. There will also be 10 m openings on sunlit paths in the afternoons.
Please visit www.spaceweather.co.za for further information.
DIARY OF EVENTS
03 February – Today - AWA CW Activity ends at 10:00 UTC.
9-10 February - SARL National Field Days.
15 February – Last day for submission of nominations for SARL awards to secretary@sarl.org.za.
23 February - SARL Youth Sprint 10:00 to 12:00 CAT with a special event starting at 09:00.
SARL News invites clubs and individuals to submit news items of interest to radio amateurs and short-wave 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 18:30 UTC on 4 895 kHz ((A new time and frequency!). Reception reports are invited. We are particularly interested in reports of the 4 895 kHz transmission on Mondays at 16:30 UTC as the frequency is close to the proposed new amateur allocation near 5 MHz. Reception reports from all areas in South Africa would be useful in our bid to ICASA for frequencies pilot studies. Send reports to artoday@sarl.org.za.
Sentech sponsors the transmissions on the non-amateur frequencies.
You have listened to a bulletin of the South African Radio League compiled and edited by George Honiball, ZS6NE.
Thank you for listening, 73.
/EX
