SARL NEWS SUNDAY 27 OCTOBER 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 MHz from Pretoria, with a relay on 7,066 MHz SSB. (Other news readers change to suit).
SILENT KEYS
it is with regret that it must be announced that the keys of two radio amateurs went silent recently. They are:
Willem Louw, ZS6BPD, quietly in his sleep in the age of 83 years on 10 October after suffering from Alzheimer. Willem leaves his wife Fransie, two sons, two daughters and grand children.
Mike Case, ZR6MJC of Rooseveldt Park on Monday 21 October 2013. Hê leaves his wife Glynn and children behind. Hê was one of the most active members of the Cedarberg Senior Scout Adventure, was attached to the University of Cape Town and till last year departmental head of the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Johannesburg. As Professor he leaves a vacancy in the hearts af many students and radio amateurs.
Our sincerest condolences to the relatives and friends of the deceased.
(PAUSE)
IN THE NEWS TODAY
NEW FREQUENCIES FOR AMATEUR RADIO TODAY
60 METRE ACTIVITY WEEKEND
FIRST & ONLY 2 METRE DXCC IN SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more details on these and other important and interesting items.
NEW FREQUENCIES FOR AMATEUR RADIO TODAY
From today the Amateur Radio Today AM frequencies change. On Sunday the 7 205 kHz frequency will remain, the 17 MHz frequency will change to 17 760 kHz. On Monday the 18:30 local time retransmission will change to 4 895 MHz. For other frequencies and relays, please visit www.sarl.org.za and select Amateur Radio Today from the left hand column.
60 METRE ACTIVITY WEEKEND
The SARL is holding a 60 Metre activity weekend starting at 00:01 on Saturday 9 November and ending at midnight on Sunday evening 10 November. The activities will be on 5 260 kHz. The objective is to study propagation conditions between as many stations in as many areas of South Africa and elsewhere as possible.
Make at least one contact in as many time slots as possible. The time slots are as follows: Saturday and Sunday: 00:01 - 06:00, 06:00 - 10:00, 10:00 - 15:00; 15:00 - 18:00 and 18:00 - Midnight. Please keep an accurate log, recording both your and the locator of the station you worked and an accurate signal report.
Please at the top of your log give details of your station and the antenna and power used. Please mail the log to propresearch@sarl.org.za before Thursday 14 November. All logs received will go into a lucky draw with lots of prizes to be won. Only stations registered for 5 MHz operation may participate. Do your bit for propagation research. The information is required to prepare a report for ICASA to extend the 5 MHz license beyond the end of December.
REMEMBRANCE DAY SERVICE SUNDAY 10 NOVEMBER
On Sunday 10 November the SARL will transmit the annual Remembrance Day Service as part of Amateur Radio Today starting at approximately 10:40 local time. All radio amateurs are requested to observe radio silence during the service as a mark of respect for those who lost their lives in service of our country. The service will be conducted in English and Afrikaans by Dominee Jan Kramer ZS6JRK.
Clubs wishing to retransmit the service on their local repeater, may download the audio file from www.sarl.org.za. A link will be activated on Sunday 10 November.
OVERLOOKED PAYING YOUR SARL SUBSCRIPTION? STILL ONLY A FEW DAYS TO RECTIFY
If you have not yet paid your subscription you have a few days left. Please pay before 31 October to avoid having your name removed from the membership records. Failing to do so, you will lose access to the member's only section of the web and will not receive Radio ZS and other services. If you need details about how much to pay and how to pay, call Mariska on Monday at 011 675 2393. Supporting the SARL with your membership is supporting Amateur Radio. It's worth doing.
2014 ARRL HANDBOOK IS HERE
The special centenary edition of the 2014 ARRL Handbook is now available in South Africa. This updated version with a gold printed hard back cover is celebrating the centenary of the American Radio League. Visit www.amateurradio.org.za for ordering details. Books ordered by close of business tomorrow will be shipped on Tuesday 29 October. Orders received after Monday will be despatched on 22 November. Also available is the new Hamradio for Arduino and Picaxe. SARL members qualify for a discounted price. Check the order form for details.
FIRST & ONLY 2 METRE DXCC IN SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
What is not generally known is that the first and the only 2 Metre DXCC ever issued in the southern hemisphere was awarded to Bob McQuarrie, ZL3TY, with 102 countries confirmed. This year his name and call sign have been inducted in the New Zealand Hall of Fame. Bob's preferred activities include DX-ing on 6 metres, 2 metres and EME, primarily the 2 metre band. His equipment on the latter band consists of 4x12 element K1FO Yagis, TS790A and GU74b amplifier. Bob was also the first New Zealand amateur to achieve DXCC in mixed VHF (6 metres and 2 metres) using the latest digital technology combined with his CW skills and moonbounce.
Congratulations Bob.
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS
Applications for membership of the SARL have been received from the following persons:
Massimo Maria Rossi, ZS5MAX
Stephen Waries, ZS1BSW.
Stephen Warden, ZU6S
Chene Thresner, ZU6CT
Imiel van Niekerk, ZU6ZD
Louis Schnetler, ZU6LG
Pieter de Weerdt,ZU6PC
Angelo Mendonidis, ZU6M
Alice de Jager, ZU6AC
Cliriska de Jager, ZU6BV
Monja Conradie, ZU6MON
Friedrich Jannasch, ZU4WJ
Previn Govender, ZS1GOV
Nadia Hansa, ZS8A
Any objections against the acceptance of the applications must reach the Secretary before or on the Tuesday after this bulletin.
CLUB NEWS
The Bloemfontein ARC has implemented an 88,5 Hz tone on the 145,600 MHz Naval Hill repeater and the 145,650 MHz Brandkop repeater because of break through from a commercial repeater. Radio amateurs visiting Bloemfontein or driving past should update their two metre radios accordingly.
PROPAGATION REPORT
Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that higher solar activity can be expected. There will be a possibility of M-class flares.
If you want to do your own frequency predictions, the expected effective sunspot number for the week will be around 100.
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. There can even be some early evening 6 m openings.
Please visit the new website spaceweather.sansa.org.za for further information.
DIARY OF EVENTS
31 October – Log sheets for Antique Wireless Association valve QSO party to be in.
02 November – RaDAR competition 14:00 – 18:00 UTC.
09/10 November – 60 m Activity weekend.
14 November – Last day to submit logs for the 60 m activity weekend.
30 November - High Altitude Balloon launch from Klerksdorp airport between 06:00 and 08:00.
30 November - SARL@Home at the National Amateur Radio Centre.
31 December - Last day to submit amateur radio video; get details from www.amateurradio.org.za.
28 February 2014 – Closing date for Youth Essay Competition.
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 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 16:30 UTC on 4 895 kHz. The website also lists various other retransmissions. Reception reports, comments and suggestions are invited. Send an email 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
