SARL NEWS SUNDAY 8 DECEMBER 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.

The South African Radio League, its council and members join the world in mourning the loss of South Africa's greatest statesman, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. Let us continue to remember and be encouraged by the so many positive things for which he stood. While we mourn his passing, we celebrate his life and the lessons he taught us and the world.

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).

IN THE NEWS TODAY:

NEW VK6RIO BEACON ON 144,950 MHz TO BEAM AT SOUTH AFRICA
DECEMBER YOTA MONTH!
DETAILS OF THE SARL NATIONAL CONVENTION ANNOUNCED

You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more details on these and other important and interesting items.

NEW VK6RIO BEACON ON 144,950 MHz TO BEAM AT SOUTH AFRICA

The Trans-Atlantic and Trans-Indian ocean two-way contacts on 144 MHz via Tropo Ducting are still the most challenging terrestrial frontiers on VHF. Many attempts have been made but without success; a beautiful trophy is still waiting in Dublin to be awarded to the first successful attempt across the Atlantic.

Pieter ZR1AEE (now V51PJ) and Flavio PY2ZX ran a series of tests between Cape Town and Sao Paulo and received traces of each other, while a team comprising Andre ZS2ACP, Jim ZS2JF and Mike ZS2FM, in Port Elizabeth ran CW tests with Bill Hosie, VK6ACY (now ZS6CCY) at Perth, but did not receive any signals at all.

Now the Northern Corridor Radio Group at Perth are going to try and break this hoodoo by using the latest chirp modulation techniques on their VK6RIO beacon, and bridge Australia and South Africa on 144 MHz. Keith Bainbridge, VK6RK, and spokesman for the Australian group says: "If we can get someone in the right location over there then perhaps we can help with some of the equipment". This project is real amateur radio science!

DECEMBER YOTA MONTH!

After the success of the Youngsters on the Air events in the northern hemisphere summer, we decided that it's time to do some more action! During the whole month of December several countries will become active with YOTA as the suffix in the call sign. The idea for this is to break the ice for some youngsters and take the microphone in the hand. As seen over the years, the YOTA-group is growing fast and every week more youngsters are asking to participate.

You want to hear us on the air? Listen for Youngsters on the Air call signs in the whole month of December! At least 17 stations from 14 countries with young amateurs will be active. We would be happy if you try to work one or more of the following call signs: EA7URA/YOTA; EI0YOTA; ES5YOTA; ES9YOTA; LY5YOTA; OH2YOTA; OK2YOTA; OM9YOTA; OM13YOTA; ON4YOTA; PA6YOTA; S513YOTA; SN0YOTA; SH9YOTA; YO0YOTA; YL13YOTA and YL2013YOTA

A special Youngsters on the Air Award is available.

60 METRE PROPAGATION RESEARCH

The Kempton Park Amateur Radio Technical Society (KARTS) currently has an operational 60 metre Beacon transmitting on 5250 kHz at 5min intervals with PSK31 as the preferred mode Please visit the KARTS website at www.zs6kts.co.za for more detailed information regarding the beacon . Should you hear this beacon please send a signal report to beacon@zs6kts.co.za and copy propresearch@sarl.org.za . Please include your locator number. KARTS is planning to include a CW signal as well a WSPR which is a Weak Signal Propagation Reporter transmission scheme available with the WSJT software suite, created by Joe Taylor, K1JT. The loosely-coordinated beacon transmitters and receivers, collectively known as the WSPRnet, report the real-time propagation characteristics of a number of frequency bands and geographical locations via the Internet.


ANOTHER REMINDER THAT ENTRIES IN THE VIDEO COMPETITION WILL CLOSE SOON

The South African Amateur Radio Development Trust invites amateur videographers to take part in a video competition and compete for some great prizes. Be creative with your camera or even your smartphone. Shoot a short video of an exciting Amateur Radio activity in South Africa and you could win a 5watt CW MFJ 40 metre transceiver kit valued at R1300 as well as one of many other prizes. The video format can be AVI, WMV or MPEG with a minimum resolution of 320 X 240. The length of the video should be between 3 and 5 minutes. The subject can be anything that illustrates the joy and excitement of amateur radio.

Entries should be sent on a CD or DVD. Don't attempt to e-mail it. Send your video to: Amateur Radio Video Competition, P O Box 90438, Garsfontein, 0042. The closing date is 31 December 2013. Entries post stamped 31 December will be accepted till 15 January. The winners will be announced early in 2014. More details on www.amateurradio.org.za

LEAGUE NEWS

DETAILS OF THE SARL NATIONAL CONVENTION ANNOUNCED

The SARL National Convention and Annual General Meeting will be held from 11 -13 April 2014 in Pretoria. The event will be hosted by the Magalies Amateur Radio Club at the Furrow Lane Hotel. Activities start on the Friday evening with a braai and Guest Speaker, Brian Frazer who will talk about "Monitoring of sunspots en solar activities through the monitoring of ultra low frequency wave propagation."

The AGM will be held on the Saturday morning while those not attending the agenda can listen to some very interesting presentations. These presentations will be repeated during the afternoon.

The afternoon guest speaker is Johan Badenhorst of SABC Voetspore fame. He will talk about "Communication experience and needs on the long road." For the ladies there will be a fashion show and make-up and hair styling presentations.

The Guest speaker at the gala Awards Dinner will be Dr Kobus Botha who will talk about real-time weather photography.

Full details are available on www.sarl.org.za from Sunday, follow the links to the programme and registration form. Furrow Lane Hotel is an attractive conference venue offering excellent accommodation, the ideal venue to treat yourself and partner for a weekend away with amateur radio added in and lots of activities to keep your partner entertained.


CALL FOR PAPERS AT THE 2014 RTA

The SARL has started planning for the 2014 RTA to be held all main centres starting in July next year. This is a call for papers to be presented at the RTA or to be included in the Symposium CD. If you have a subject that you would like to present at all RTA's or just at your local one, please send a synopsis by not later than 15 December 2013 to rta@sarl.org.za. Please include your contact details.
The dates for the 2014 RTA are now available on the SARL web.


SARL OFFICE TO CLOSE FOR SUMMER BREAK

The SARL office will be closed from 12 December and reopen on 13 January 2014. During this period urgent matters can be sent by email to secretary@sarl.org.za.

NEW MEMBERS

The SARL gained the 100 candidates that passed the October RAE as members. It is, unfortunately, not practical to read a list of 100 names on SARL news. With the 100 new members included, the membership of the SARL now stands at 1650.

NOMINATION OF COUNCILLORS

Members and clubs are reminded that the SARL is awaiting the nomination of councillors. Members can be nominated by clubs or by individual members. The rules and conditions are set out in the SARL constitution and rules as published on the website. The closing date for nominations is 31 January 2014. To simplify nomination an informal nomination form can be obtained by emailing the secretary at secretary@sarl.org.za. The form is not essential, it is only for convenience.

COMPETITION NEWS

SARL NATIONAL FIELD DAY

The contest committee received 13 logs and 1 check log for the November leg of the SARL National Field Day.

Class A: Field Day Multi-operator
1st East Rand Branch, ZS6ERB, 145 680 points 2nd Welkom Radio Club, ZS4WRC, 114 840 points 3rd West Rand ARC, ZS6WR, 82 800 points

Class F: General Stations
1st Johan van Zijl, ZS4DZ, 8 760 points
2nd Port Elizabeth ARS, ZS2PE, 3 200 points 3rd Kempton Park ARTS, ZS6KTS, 1 760 points

A check log was received from Bosman Olivier, ZS6WBO.

The combined results of the February and November legs of the SARL National Field Day

Class A: Field Station Multi-operator
1st Welkom Radio Club, ZS4WRC, 204 588 points 2nd East Rand Branch, ZS6ERB, 194 604 points 3rd West Rand ARC, ZS6WR, 144 252 points

Class C: Field Station Single operator
1st Marius Snyman, ZR6MS, 24 576 points
2nd Andries Visagie, ZS6VL, 13 320 points

Class D: Field Station Single operator QRP 1st Richard Hayter, ZS6RSH, 10 800 points

Class E: Ultra light portable
1st Pierre van Deventer, ZS6A, 10 350 points 2nd Eddie Leighton, ZS6BNE, 3 510 points

Class F: General Stations
1st Pravin Kumar, ZS5LT, 11 088 points
2nd Port Elizabeth ARS, ZS2PE, 10 076 points 3rd Ken Gurr, ZR5KW/6, 9 792 points

Congratulations to the winners!

Early warning - the February leg of the SARL National Field Day takes place over the weekend of 8 and 9 February 2014!

ARRL 10 METRE CONTEST

The ARRL 10 Metre Contest takes place from 00:00 UTC Saturday 14 December to 23:59 UTC Sunday 15 December. All stations operate no more than 36 hours out of the 48-hour period and all off-times must be a minimum of 30 consecutive minutes. Remember listening time counts as operating time.

The contest exchange for ZS stations is a RS or RST report and a sequential serial number starting with 001. Stations in the USA (including Hawaii and Alaska), Canada and Mexico will send a RS or RST report and state or province abbreviation. Maritime mobile stations send a RS or RST report and ITU Region (R1, R2 or R3).

Find all the rules at www.arrl.org/10-meter

HF PROPAGATION REPORT

Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the solar activity is on the increase. Sunspot AR1909 has a "beta-gamma" magnetic field that harbours enough energy for M-class flares.

If you want to do your own frequency predictions, the expected effective sunspot number for the week will be around 85.

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.

Please visit the website spaceweather.sansa.org.za for further information.


DIARY OF EVENTS

14 – 15 December - ARRL 10 meter competition
31 December - Last day to submit amateur radio video
18 January 2014 – SARL@Home
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 Louis Kirstein, ZS1LK.

Thank you for listening, 73.

/EX