SARL NEWS SUNDAY 24 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 and 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 have to announce that the key of Ronnie Grobler, ZS6RLG, of the East Rand Amateur Radio Club and digital enthusiast, went silent on 13th Feb 2013 after a 3 week’s battle with cancer.
Our sincerest condolences to Ronnnie’s relatives and friends.
(PAUSE)
IN THE NEWS TODAY:
ANTENNA DEFENCE A LONG TERM PROJECT
SA AMSAT MADE GOOD PROGRESS ON KLETSkous
SA AMATEUR RADIO DEVELOPMENT TRUST AWARDED THREE RAE BURSARIES
SARL NATIONAL CONVENTION PROGRAMME OUT SOON
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more details on these and other important and interesting items.
ANTENNA DEFENCE A LONG TERM PROJECT
The Council of the SARL at its annual strategic Indaba held on Friday and Saturday reviewed progress made on the Antenna Defence project. SARL legal adviser, Johann Marais, ZS1JM, said that considerable progress was made in identifying the various regulatory structures that impact on the erection of antennas and antenna towers. Council discussed the next steps to be taken and agreed on a plan of action. It should be noted that the project is not a short term intervention and will still require a considerable amount of work before an action plan can be finalised. Council recognised the support from the many radio amateurs who have contributed to the funding of the project. The next progress report will be presented at SARL National Convention to be held on the West Rand at the end of April.
For more details and a list of radio amateurs, clubs and companies who are supporting the project, visit www.sarl.org.za and select antenna defence fund.
SA AMSAT MADE GOOD PROGRESS ON KLETSkous
SA AMSAT has reported good progress on KLETSkous. The team met last week on a teleconference. The designs and PC board layouts have been completed. The next step is the manufacture of the PC boards and the placing of the components followed by testing of each sub unit.
Project leader, Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, said that the group expects to be able to demonstrate the transponder at the SA AMSAT conference which will the held at the Innovation Centre in Pretoria on 23 May. KLETSkous will have a transponder with an uplink on 79 cm and a down link on two metres.
Progress has also been made on the development of the space frame. The correct space hardened aluminium has been purchased and is now being machined to construct the second prototype.
SA AMSAT is now also embarking on a serious fundraising campaign. For details on how you can assist to make this project a reality visit www.amsatsa.org.za. Listen to Amateur Radio Today later this morning when the team will talk about what has been achieved to date.
SA AMATEUR RADIO DEVELOPMENT TRUST AWARDED THREE RAE BURSARIES
The South African Amateur Radio Development Trust has awarded three bursaries for young people to study for the RAE to be written in May. The bursaries each valued of R1 000 were awarded to Michelle Taylor, who is in grade 9, and Nicole Taylor, who is in grade 11. The two sisters will attend the RAE course presented by Karl Canitz in Belville. The third bursary was awarded to Karel Bezuidenhout, ZU6KB. He achieved the best results in the 2011 Class B examination with a 98% pass. He loves contesting and won the SARL youth sprint last year and came 22nd in the CW WW SSB 10 Metre assisted class 3 contest in Africa.
The bursary fund was given a major boost last year when the family of Tony Reumerman, ZS6AOG, made a handsome contribution to the fund, Three bursaries will be available for the October RA examination. For details visit www.amateurradio.org.za.
SARL NATIONAL CONVENTION PROGRAMME OUT SOON
The SARL National Convention will be hosted by the West Rand Amateur Radio Club on 26 and 27 April. The convention will start with a welcoming event at the West Rand Amateur Radio Club house. On Saturday afternoon there will be a visit to the SA Space Agency's Hartbeeshoek facility and the annual awards dinner on Saturday evening will include several surprises including the opportunity to win an IC-V82 two metre hand-held transceiver donated by Sam Ford. The full programme and booking details will be available by next weekend.
RADIO ZS IN THE MAIL BUT DELIVERY DELAYED BY POSTAL STRIKE
Radio ZS was mailed last week but delivery may be delayed due to a postal strike. SARL members can however download an electronic copy from www.sarl.org.za. Go to the member's only section by selecting the button on the top right hand corner of the landing page and enter your PIN.
DID THE ASTEROID 2012 DA14 CAUSE IONIZATION WHEN IT PASSED THE EARTH?
On Friday night 15th February at 21:30 CAT when the asteroid passed between the Earth and the Moon, Ken Victor, ZS2OC, at Port Elizabeth was monitoring ZS1SIX on 50,080 MHz and could hear it at about S2. At 21:35 CAT the beacon signal suddenly increased in signal strength with a watery type sound. Ken decided to send his call sign a few times on the same frequency, hoping that someone else, who might also be listening to the beacon. would hear him. By this time his beam was pointing about 30 degrees north of Cape Town. At 21:39 CAT the beacon increased in strength and after another transmission he switched to receive and heard his call sign mixed with the beacon signal. The beacon signal was strongest at 21:40 CAT and he once again heard an echo of his call sign with a delay of more than a second.
What Ken wants to know is, did someone perhaps hear his signal and called him, or could this have been a delayed reflection from some distant area such as the trail of the speeding and very hot asteroid, or multi-hop Sporadic-E over the Atlantic. Can anyone explain this mysterious signal? Anyone with information can send it to Mike Bosch to email address mcbosch@webafrica.org.za.
CONTEST NEWS
The aim of the SARL Digital Contest is to establish as many contacts as possible between radio amateurs in Southern Africa using PSK31 and RTTY. The contest is open to all radio amateurs in Southern Africa. The contest runs from 13:00 UTC to 16:00 UTC on Sunday 24 February. Activity takes place on 80 metres (3 580 to 3 600 kHz); 40 metres (7 040 to 7 060 kHz) and 20 metres (14 070 to 14 099 kHz) and a station may be contacted twice on each band, once on RTTY and once on PSK31. The exchange is a RST report plus a sequential serial number starting at 001. Contacts with stations listed in General Rule 1.b are worth 3 points. Contacts with stations NOT listed in General Rule 1.b are worth 1 point. Read the contest rules for the band multipliers and scoring. Logs shall be submitted within 7 days after the contest to contest@sarl.org.za.
The SARL Hamnet 40 m Simulated Emergency Contest is open to all Radio Amateurs in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Mozambique, Lesotho, Marion Island and South African Antarctica. Only contacts with these areas will count. The contest will be on the air from 12:00 to 14:00 UTC on Sunday 3 March with phone activity in the band segments 7 063 to 7 100 kHz and 7 130 to 7 200 kHz. Participation can be as a Single operator stationary mobile, a Single operator portable, a Multi-operator portable or a Single operator base station. The exchange is a signal report followed by a three-figure number determined by the class of participation. Read the contest rules for details on antennas, power, the exchange and scoring. Logs must be submitted by 11 March to Hamnet Eastern Cape, Al Akers, ZS2U, 53 Clarence Street, Westering, Port Elizabeth, 6025 or by e-mail to contest@peham.co.za.
NEW CLUB COMMITTEE
T5he following members were elected to the committee of the South Cape Amateur radio Club, ZS1SKR, at the club’s AGM held on the 16th February 2013 at Glentana:
Chairman: Hans Potgieter, ZS1ALJ
V-Chair: Sharon Malcolm, ZS1SLM
Secretary/Treasurer: Abe Zwiegelaar, ZS1ZS
Member: Eddie Pieterse, ZR1DEP
Thanks to the retiring committee members and strength to the new ones.
PROPAGATION REPORT
Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the solar activity is expected to continue at low to very low levels. Sunspot 1 678 continues to rotate towards the western limb but there remains a possibility for some flares until it rotates out of direct Earth view.
If you want to do your own frequency predictions, the expected effective sunspot number for the week will be around 46.
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
24 February – That is today, the SARL Digital Contest 13:00 UTC to 16:00 UTC.
03 March - SARL Hamnet 40 m Simulated Emergency Contest 12:00 to 14:00 UTC.
03 March – Logs for the SARL Digital Contest to be in to contest@sarl.org.za.
11 March - Logs for the SARL Hamnet 40 m Simulated Emergency Contest must be in to Hamnet Eastern Cape, Al Akers, ZS2U, 53 Clarence Street, Westering, Port Elizabeth, 6025 or by e-mail to contest@peham.co.za.
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
