SARL NEWS SUNDAY 15 JUNE 2014

Good morning and welcome, you are tuned to a newscast of the South African Radio League, ZS6SRL, read by _________________________ (name and callsign). The SARL broadcasts a newsbulletin on a Sunday morning at eight hours fifteen local time in Afrikaans and at eight hours thirty in English. The bulletin may be heard on 7066kHz Lower side band or on many VHF and UHF frequencies around the country. Echolink users may connect to ZS0JPL for a relay.

This audio version of the bulletin may be downloaded from the SARL webpage. If you prefer the printed version you may visit the league's website where you will be able to download such a copy as well as sign up to receive future copies via e mail.

We start this newscast with a silent key:
It is with deep regret that the passing of Jan du Toit, ZS6BAA, on Thursday 05 June 2014 at the age of 90 is announced.
We extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends.

** PAUSE **

IN THE NEWS TODAY

APPLICATIONS FOR RAE BURSARIES INVITED

BOOK NOW FOR THE RADIO IN ACTION SYMPOSIUM

CONTEST NEWS

CLUB NEWS

HF PROPAGATION REPORT

Stay tuned for more on these and other stories


==> The South African Amateur Radio Development Trust invites students and learners under 26 years old planning to write the October 2014 Class A Radio Amateur Examination to apply for the Tony Reumerman bursary. Each bursary is valued at R1000. This will cover the RAE examination fee, cost of the first year license with the balance towards tuition cost. Two bursaries are available for the October RAE
In addition on passing the examination with a minimum of a B, the candidate will receive the ARRL Basic Antenna book valued at R350. To claim the book the successful candidate must submit the pass letter received from the SARL to the bursary scheme. Full detail is available on www.amateurradio.org.za The closing date is 30 June.

==> Booking for the SARL Radio in Action symposium to be held in Duran on Saturday 21 closes on Wednesday 18.The programme features a great variety of subjects of interest to radio amateurs and electronic enthusiast. A number of presentations will be supported by practical demonstrations. If you have not booked as yet do so now. Walk - in registrations will be accepted at a surge charge of R50 over and above the pre-booking. Get the booking form and more details on the SARL webpages.

==> The South African Amateur Radio Development Trust has a number of interesting books available from their bookshop. The book in the spotlight today is Radio science for the radio amateur. You can contribute to big science as a radio amateur! Regardless of your experience and resources, as a radio amateur you have what it takes to make a meaningful contribution to science and technology. You have a window into the universe not available to most people--as every physical phenomenon, from the galactic to the microscopic, interacts with radio in some manner. Radio Science for the Radio Amateur will lead you to horizons of scientific exploration and discovery. Using a fresh, playful approach, Author Eric Nichols, KL7AJ, will guide you through some of the most fascinating "nooks and crannies" of the radio universe. Along the way, you'll find out how solving long-standing mysteries of radio, of which there are still many, doesn't require expensive hardware, but merely a scientific
mind-set and attention to detail. For details visit www.amateurradio.org.za/books.htm

==> Years ago, in 2008 and 2009 an eerie quiet descended on the sun. Sunspot counts dropped to historically-low levels and solar flares ceased altogether. As the longest and deepest solar minimum in a century unfolded, bored solar physicists wondered when "Solar Max" would ever return. They can stop wondering. "It's back," says Dean Pesnell of the Goddard Space Flight Centre. "Solar Max has arrived."

Pesnell , a leading member of the NOAA/NASA Solar Cycle Prediction Panel, a blue-ribbon group of solar physicists who meet from time to time to forecast future solar cycles says it not as easy as it sounds. Although textbooks call it the "11-year solar cycle," the actual cycle can take anywhere from 9 to 14 years to complete. Some Solar Maxes are strong, others weak, and, sometimes, as happened for nearly 70 years in the 17th century, the solar cycle can vanish altogether. Pesnell points to a number of factors that signal Solar Max conditions in 2014: "The sun's magnetic field has flipped; we are starting to see the development of long coronal holes; and, oh yes, sunspot counts are cresting."

This solar cycle continues to rank among the weakest on record. Watch an interesting video on the Amateur Radio Today page on the SARL web.to learn more about the 2014 solar max.

==> The IARU HF Championship takes place on the second full weekend of July. The contest begins on Saturday 12 July at 12:00 UTC and ends on Sunday 13 July at 12:00 UTC . The objective of the IARU HF Championships is to contact as many other amateurs, especially IARU member society HQ stations, around the world as possible using the 160, 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 metre bands. No contest QSOs on 12, 17, 30 or 60 metres are allowed. On any band, a station may be worked once on Phone and once on CW. Both Single and Multi operator stations may operate the entire 24-hour period. The contest exchange - IARU member society HQ stations send signal report and official IARU member society abbreviation. Members of the IARU Administrative Council and the three IARU regional Executive committees send "AC," "R1,""R2," and "R3" as appropriate. All others send signal report and ITU zone. A complete exchange must be logged for each valid QSO. The ITU zone for South Africa is 57

The callsign ZS9HQ was assigned to the SARL by ICASA and will be operated from the National Amateur Radio Centre during the IARU HF championships. SARL President, Geoff Levey, ZS6C is inviting radio amateurs to join him at the NARC to man the station. Please send an email to Geoff at contest@sarl.org,za with your callsign and contact details. He will contact you to discuss the operational schedule.

==> The World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC) takes place over the same weekend, at the same time and frequencies. WRTC is a competition between two-person teams of amateur radio amateurs testing their skills to make contacts with other radio amateurs around the world over a 24 hour period. Unlike most on-the-air competitions, all stations are required to use identical antennas from the same geographic region, eliminating all variables except operating ability. WRTC2014 will include 59 competing teams from 29 qualifying regions around the world. This will be the largest and most competitive WRTC ever! No team from South Africa has been entered however South Africa will be represented by two referees, Bernie van der Walt, ZS4TX and Chris Burger ZS6EZ.

==> The SARL Top Band QSO Party is a fun activity to promote contacts on 160 metres between radio amateurs in Southern African countries and to encourage radio amateurs to apply for the South African Radio League's Top Band Certificate. The QSO Party is open to all licensed amateurs that have access to the 160 metre band.
The QSO Party runs from 00:00 UTC on Thursday 19 June 2014 to 00:00 UTC on Sunday 22 June 2014. The following modes and frequencies must be used - Phone: 1 840 to 1 850 kHz and CW 1 810 to 1 838 kHz
The exchange is a RS(T) report and provincial or country abbreviation. Following the QSO, the station must change dial frequency by at least 2 KHz for the next QSO, unless a period of 10 minutes has lapsed between contacts. The frequency of each QSO must be shown on the log sheet.
Each station can be worked once per mode i.e. once on Phone and again with CW. Each contact will count three (3) points. Each South African call area and each DXCC country worked will be awarded with five (5) additional bonus points. Total Score = (Total QSO points) + (Bonus points). Log sheets must be submitted by 30 June 2014 to contest@sarl.org.za.

==> The Durban Amateur radio club would like to congratulate the newly elected councilors and staff and wish them success for the 2014/15 session. Further we like to welcome Mrs Oelofse in her post as administrator of the SARL and wish her well and strength in her job.

At our AGM in May the following members were elected as committee members of the Durban ARC:
Chairman: Louis de Bruin ZS5LP
Vice chair: Neil Slogrove ZR5NAS
Secretary: Kurt Linsin ZS5KL
Treasurer: Louis de Bruin ZS5LP
QSL manager for ZS5D: Kurt Linsin ZS5KL
Members: Aubrey Worthington ZS0018
Norman Fink ZS5NF
John Norman ZS5JX (awards/projects)
Alan Bartlet ZS5ADP (mechanical)
Glen Meyer ZS5GM ( IT, Webside)
Sean Beukes ZS5TI (technical)

PROPAGATION REPORT

Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the expected solar activity will be at high levels. Sunspots AR2080, AR2085 and AR2087 have "delta-class" magnetic fields that harbor energy for X-class solar flares.

If you want to do your own frequency predictions, the expected effective sunspot number for the week will be around 80.

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.

We end this bulletin with a look at our diary of events:

This coming Tuesday 17 June is World QRP day, while Thursday 19 to 22 June is the SARL top band QSO party, On Saturday 21 June you can attend the RTA in Durban, visit the South African Radio League website and book you place.21 and 22 June ARRL Field day. 13 and 13 July 2014 you may partake in the IARU HF Championships as well as in WRTC 14.

And to end this mornings bulletin we revisit our top story: The South African Amateur Radio Development Trust invites students and learners under 26 years old planning to write the October 2014 Class A Radio Amateur Examination to apply for the Tony Reumerman bursary.

With that we have come to the end of this mornings newscast, you may find more information on these and other stories on the SARL website.

The South African Radio League invites you to listen to Amateur Radio Today every Sunday morning at 10:00 local time on 145,750 MHz in the Pretoria area, and on the 145,650 network in Johannesburg with relays on 7 082, 7 205, and 17 660 kHz. There is a podcast by Dick, ZS6RO. For web-streaming and Echolink by Chris, ZS6FCS, visit the SARL website 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 3 230 kHz. The website also lists various other retransmissions. Reception reports, comments and suggestions are invited. Send us an email. Sentech sponsors the transmissions on the non-amateur frequencies

South African Radio League 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 the newsinbox on the SARL webpage no later than the Thursday preceding the bulletin date.

Podcasts of all the SARL newsbulletins as well as Amateur radio toady may now also be downloaded from www.podpage.co.za

You have listened to a bulletin of the South African Radio League compiled by Dawie Conradie ZR6DHC


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