SARL NEWS SUNDAY 24 March 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).
IN THE NEWS TODAY:
PAYMENT OF AMATEUR RADIO LICENSE FEES
HAVE YOU BOOKED FOR THE SARL NATIONAL CONVENTION?
INTERNATIONAL MUSEUMS WEEKEND REGISTRATION OPEN
PB33BQ TO CELEBRATE THE CHANGE OF ROYALTY IN THE NETHERLANDS
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more details on these and other important and interesting items.
PAYMENT OF AMATEUR RADIO LICENSE FEES
ICASA is currently finalising the mailing of invoices for the 2013 licence year. You only need to pay once you receive the invoice. If you decide to pay before receiving the invoice, please ensure that you include your licence number in the payment advice. Failing to do so will result in your payment not being credited to your account.
HAVE YOU BOOKED FOR THE SARL NATIONAL CONVENTION?
Time is running out for the booking of your attendance at the SARL national Convention to be hosted by the West Rand Amateur Radio Club on 26 and 27 April 2013. Don't delay. Get details on www.sarl.org.za.
From Monday you can download the AGM documents as well as a proxy form. Detail will be posted on the SARL home page.
Book also for the annual dinner on Saturday evening 27 April and listen to a fascinating story from the guest speaker, Dr Antony Turton, ZS6CST. Your booking includes a free lucky draw for one of many prizes including an IC-V82 two metre hand-held transceiver and two dual band 2m/70cm antennas sponsored by Radio Data Modems and Accessories.
This is also a reminder that the visit to SANSA at Hartbeeshoek earth station is limited to 45 persons. Make your reservation now to avoid disappointment. When booking ensure that you submit your ID number.
Attendance at the AGM is free but you are still requested to complete the registration form and submit it as soon as possible This is required for catering purposes and ensuring that the venue is set up for comfort.
INTERNATIONAL MUSEUMS WEEKEND REGISTRATION OPEN
The International Museums Weekend special event will take place on the double weekends of June 15th and 16th and again on June 22nd and 23rd. Radio amateurs world-wide are being encouraged to participate in this event by setting up stations in the local museums in their areas. The event organizer, Harry Bloomfield, M1BYT, has asked that all those intending to take part to register their museum via the web form on the International Museums Weekend website. It is s in cyberspace at www.ukradioamateur.co.uk/imw.
WORLD AMATEUR RADIO DAY CELEBRATION AT THE NARC
The SARL will celebrate Amateur Radio's century of involvement in disaster communication on World Amateur Radio on 18 April 2013 at the National Amateur Radio Centre. The callsign ZS9DCC - Disaster Communication Century will be operational from the NARC on that day. Special guests and the media will be invited to a briefing starting at 12:00 with presentations about amateur radio's involvement in disaster communication and how amateur radio is supporting sporting and other community events with communication.
Operators are needed for the special event station which will be operational from early morning till the bands close at night. Volunteers are invited to contact SARL's Vice President Geoff Levey, ZS6GRL to schedule their participation. Two radio amateurs are required for each time slot. Email Geoff at contest@sarl.org.za or call him on 082 546 5546.
On April 18, make a contact with ZS9DCC to receive a special commemorative QSL card. Take a day's leave and set up your club station at a public venue and demonstrate amateur radio as a national resource for the country and how radio amateurs support communities with communication when all else fails. It is worth taking a day's leave to support your hobby.
PB33BQ TO CELEBRATE THE CHANGE OF ROYALTY IN THE NETHERLANDS
In celebration of the Netherland's Queen Beatrix handing over the throne to her eldest son Prince Willem Alexander, Dutch radio amateur, Jaap Van Duin, PA7DA, will take to the airwaves using the special call sign PB33Q between April 20th and May 1st.
The PB33BQ call sign stands for Princess Beatrix 33 years Queen and commemorates the more than three decades since she took over the throne of her mother Queen Juliana. That took place back on April 30th, 1980. Keep an eye on pa7da.jouwweb.nl/pb33q for more information on this very special celebration. QSL PB33Q only via the bureau.
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS
Applications for membership of the SARL have been received from the following radio amateurs:
Dr Lennart Nell, ZS6ALL
Anton Oosthuizen, ZSL1063
Wynand Cronjé, ZSL1064
Willem Pistorius, ZSL1065
Sidney Freedman, ZSL 1066
Jacobus de Kock, ZSL1067
Any objections against the acceptance of the applications must reach the Secretary before or on the Tuesday after this bulletin.
NEXT RAE
The next RAE is approaching and things are moving. Most of the clubs that ran examination centres in the past, have renewed their centre’s registration. What are the conditions for registration of an examination centre? The club must be affiliated to the SARL and all invigilators and assistants must be paid-up members of the SARL. Each examination centre should also ensure that there are two registered HF assessors available to do the HF assessment. For the full conditions visit the relevant web page of the SARL (www.sarl.org.za/public/licences/rae_admin.asp).
Candidates must ensure that they read the forms and carefully execute each instruction, especially those concerning the three preferred call signs. The closing date for entries is 11 April 2013 and the HF assessment form may be submitted together with the exam answer paper.
Candidates that pass the RAE gets free (complimentary) membership of the SARL until the end of June 2014.
CONTEST NEWS
Results of the SARL Digital Contest held on the 24th February 2013.
8 logs were received which included 1 DX log from VU2UR. According to the logs there were 32 stations active.
1st – Jaco le Roux, ZS6PX - 630 points
2nd - ZS2CR, Colette Rundle, - 528 points
3rd - ZS2J, Derek Stuart, - 450 points
Congratulations to the winners and thanks to all who submitted their logs.
Results of the Hamnet Emergency Contest held on the 3rd March 2013:
Category A, Single Operator Stationary Mobile.
ZS5J, John Kramer 1 890 points
ZS6ADY, Andy Cairns 1332 points
Category B Single Operator Portable.
ZR6LJK, Christo Kriek 1 449 points
ZS2U, Al Akers 1 098 points
ZS6WBT, Wilhelm Taljaard 480 points
ZS6BNE, Eddie Leighton 72 points
Category C Multi Operator Portable.
ZS5HAC, Hibiscus Coast Amateur Club 1 500 points
Category D Single Operator Base Station.
ZS5PO, Jo Snyders 2 352 points
ZS6RHL, Hendrik Rudman 1 995 points
ZS4DZ, Johannes van Zijl 1 764 points
ZR6NGB, Nigel Burgess 1 204 points
ZU6FR, François Reyneke 1 185 points
ZS2DK, Mitch Rundle 1 104 points
ZS2J, Derek Stuart 1 026 points
ZS6APT, Pam Momberg 980 points
ZS6YE, Heather Holland 222 points
ZS5R, Gawie Hoon 72 points
Congratulations to the winners in each competition and thanks to all who participated and sent in logs.
CLUB NEWS
A Special General Meeting of the East Rand Amateur Radio Club will be held for all paid-up members on Saturday 6 April 2013 at 15:00 at the clubhouse at Ebenezer Street, Arrowe Park in Benoni. A bring and braai will commence afterwards. All paid-up members must try to be there as this is a very important meeting and we wish everybody to be there.
This was from Elize Findt, ZS6ECF, Secretary, East Rand Branch of the SARL; contact details:
Tel: 073 490 6642 / 082 378 3062
Fax: 086 653 3990
e-mail: zs6erb@gmail.com
url: www.zs6erb.co.za
PROPAGATION REPORT
Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the solar activity is expected to continue at low levels. There remains a chance for M-class Solar flares.
If you want to do your own frequency predictions, the expected effective sunspot number for the week will be around 45.
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
20 to 26 March – Voortrekker camp station ZS6VTS on the air.
30 March - West Rand Amateur Radio Club flea market starting 12:00. For more information contact Phillip, ZS6PVT, at 083 267 3835 or Geoff, ZS6GRL, at 082 546 5546.
18 April – World Amateur radio day and ZS9DCC on the air. Operators required, Email Geoff to contest@sarl.org.za or call him on 082 546 5546.
April 20-May 1 – Commemorative station PB33BQ on the air, see pa7da.jouwweb.nl/pb33q for more information.
26- 27 April – SARL National Convention, register now, get details on www.sarl.org.za.
15/16 June – First weekend of International Museums Weekend special event, register your museum station at www.ukradioamateur.co.uk/imw.
22/23 June – Second weekend of International Museums Weekend special event.
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
