SARL NEWS SUNDAY 06 APRIL 2014
Good morning, 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 KEY
It is with regret that it is announced that the key of Piet Slabbert, ZR6PGS, went silent on 31 March. Piet was a member of the North West amateur radio club.
Our sincerest condolences to Piet’s wife Kate, their sun Gerhard, other relatives and friends.
(PAUSE)
In the news today:
REGISTER FOR THE SARL NATIONAL CONVENTION THIS WEEKEND - THE CLOSING DATE FOR BOOKINGS IS WEDNESDAY 9 AND THURSDAY 10 APRIL
SKA TO BE DISCUSSED ON THE NEXT INTECNET
CLOSING DATE FOR ENROLMENT FOR THE RAE IS 10 APRIL
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more details on these and other important and interesting items.
REGISTER FOR THE SARL NATIONAL CONVENTION THIS WEEKEND - THE CLOSING DATE FOR BOOKINGS IS WEDNESDAY 9 AND 10 APRIL
Have you registered for the SARL convention, Annual General Meeting and the Awards Dinner? Details are on the SARL web at www.sarl.org.za. It a simple form and you can pay by internet bank transfer. The exhibition is the largest of amateur radio related events in recent times and runs all Saturday 12 April.
Don't miss the Friday night braai and the Saturday night awards dinner. The SARL National Convention takes place from 11 - 13 April at the Furrow Lane Hotel, 272 Furrow Road, Equestria, Pretoria. Why not make it a weekend out and stay over at Furrow Lane, it a great boutique Hotel to treat your spouse and yourself.
The bookings for the Friday night Braai and Saturday night Awards Dinner close on Wednesday 9 April at 17:00, you do not want to miss these two annual events on the amateur radio calendar.
If you are only attending the SARL AGM on Saturday 12 April you still need to register to get free access to the convention venue. Failing to do so you will be charged R25. Registration for the AGM is free to SARL members. It is simple to do. Fill in the form available on the web.
If you wish to attend the AGM only, SARL members may email admin@sarl.org.za with their name, callsign and telephone number. Put AGM registration in the subject line.
Members may also phone Mariska during office hours on 011 675 2393 and give their name, callsign, telephone number and Email address. Registration for attendance of the AGM ONLY closes on Thursday 10 April 2014 to allow time for processing the information.
If you however are not attending the AGM please complete the proxy form available on the web as soon as possible. If you are not sure who to appoint as your proxy select the President, Secretary or one of the Councillors to represent your interest. If you are not sure of the process, call Mariska at 011 675 2393 to assist you.
Proxies can be faxed to 086 299 0566 up to Thursday 10 April after that proxies can be handed in at the registration table at the AGM.
SKA TO BE DISCUSSED ON THE NEXT INTECNET
The first dish in the MeerKat constellation at the Karoo SKA site was officially inaugurated last week. On Tuesday 15 April Prof Justin Jones will be taking on the next Intecnet about progress made and answer questions about the SKA and the significance of MeerKat.
The Intecnet will be held on Tuesday 15 April 2014 starting at 19:30. Clubs wishing to link their repeater to the network should send an email to artoday@sarl.org.za. Join us for this exciting SARL On-the-air event.
CLOSING DATE FOR THE RAE IS 10 APRIL NO LATE ENTRIES CAN BE ACCEPTED
The SARL has launched a new online registration system for the Amateur Radio Examination. Candidates who wish to write the May examination should visit the SARL website for details of how to register for the examination. The closing date for registration is 10 April 2014. No late entries will be accepted. Please share this information with students studying for the RAE.
FREQUENCY CHANGE FOR AMATEUR RADIO TODAY
From today there will be frequency changes for Amateur Radio Today. On Sundays at 10:00 local time there will be transmissions on 7 205 and a new frequency of 17 660 kHz. On Mondays at 18:30 local time the frequency changes to 3 230 kHz. Reception reports are invited. Email your reports to artoday@sarl.org.za.
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS
Applications for membership of the SARL have been received from the following persons:
Johanna Cameron, ZSL1096
David W Mac Gregor Cameron, ZSL1097.
Any objections against the acceptance of the applications must reach the Secretary before or on the Tuesday after this bulletin.
Membership of the SARL currently stands at 1 709
VOICE OF RUSSIA BIDS FAREWELL TO SHORTWAVE
The shortwave broadcast bands are a bit thinner after the Voice of Russia bid farewell to the airwaves at midnight on April 1st local Moscow time.
Earlier reports published in 2013 claimed that Voice of Russia, formerly known as Radio Moscow, was to cease its shortwave service as of January 1st of this year due to budget cuts mandated by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Last December 9th Putin signed a decree stating that the Voice of Russia as an independent agency officially ceased to exist and was to be merged with several other news agencies as part of the state run Rossia Segodnya international news service. As of this past February 3rd, the Voice of Russia had cut its shortwave broadcast schedule back to only 18 hours a day in English, Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese. It had also shaved its digital shortwave schedule to 22 hours a day in English, Spanish, German, French, Hindi, Urdu, and Russian.
PROPAGATION REPORT
Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the expected solar activity will be at low to moderate levels. Sunspots AR2026 and 2030 harbours enough energy 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 110.
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 may also be some 6 m openings in the early evenings.
Please visit the website spaceweather.sansa.org.za for further information.
DIARY OF EVENTS
09 April – 17:00 Cut off time to register for attendance of the Friday night braai and Awards Dinner at the SARL AGM convention.
10 April - Closing date for registration for attendance of the SARL AGM only on Saturday.
10 April - Closing date for registration for the May RAE.
12 April – Last day to submit logs for the SARL 80 m QSO Party to zs5lp@vodamail.co.za.
11-13 April - SARL National Convention.
15 April – Intechnet on SKA at 19:30.
19 April - Last day to submit logs for the RaDAR Contest to edleighton@gmail.com.
24 May - SA AMSAT space symposium.
The 2014 SARL Diary of Events will be available for download in the coming week from www.sarl.org.za. Get a copy and keep it handy in your radio shack.
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
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