I Apologize for the resend of the bulletin but I somehow missed two very important articles:
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SARL NEWS SUNDAY 06 JULY 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.
Unfortunately wê start this mornings bulletin with the SAD news of a silent key: It is with regret that we take note of the passing of Dave Cox ZS5COX. Dave was an avid sailor who also made the effort to obtain an amateur radio license. Dave attended the course and passed the RAE after which hê was awarded the call ZR5ADJ, later his calsign changed to ZS5COX which hê still held at the time of his passing. Our sincere condolences go to his relatives and friends
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IN THE NEWS TODAY
BOOKINGS FOR THE GAUTENG RTA EVENTS NOW OPEN
MOBILE PHONE SWITCHED ON, HAM RADIO HANDHELD IS OFF
NEXT WEEKEND SEES THE IARU HF CONTEST
INTECHNET TO FOCUS ON IARU RGION 1 MATTERS
AND
SARL YOUTHNET ON THE AIR THIS AFTERNOON
Stay tuned for these and other news items
>> Bookings for the Johannesburg and Pretoria Radio Technology in Action Symposiums open today. The Johannesburg RTA will be held at the National Amateur Radio Centre on Saturday 23 August and the Pretoria RTA on 13 September at the Innovation Hub. Registrations for the Johannesburg RTA will
be limited to 30 persons, while the Pretoria venue can accommodate up to 200.
The Innovation Hub offers state of the art conferencing facility and is situated just of the N1 North. Find all the details on the sarl web
>> Kay Malfeld, DO7KAY, delivered the key note address at the opening of Ham Radio 2014. His theme was "Mobile phone switched on, ham radio handheld is off. Some comments regarding DARC's problem to attract young people." It is not only a problem for the German society, but also for all amateur radio societies.
Kay Malfeld, aged 12, passed his entry class license exam about one year ago. In his presentation, Kay outlined what made him enthusiastic about the amateur radio hobby. It definitively wasn't the possibility to talk to others having the same interests. This could be done easily via the Internet using a smartphone, Skype or Teamspeak.
What is important for Kay and other young people are - practical experience with technology; exciting projects, in particular those involving software and networking technology; getting together with other young people; international understanding, meeting new people from other countries, and participating in Field Days, emergency communications and experimenting with mains power independent station setups in case the mobile phone network would fail.
Kay's final statement is rather "mobile phone switched on and handheld transceiver switched on as well." The combination of amateur radio communications with smartphones and computers is an exciting approach with huge potential. Working constructively towards new technology together with kids and teenagers - this will be the right attitude for working with young people in the 21st century.
>> Australian space explorer Andy Thomas VK5MIR has retired to his Texas ranch after 22 years with NASA and 4 months living in zero gravity on the Mir space station. Recently Dr. Thomas, who holds the call VK5MIR, has been leading design teams whose projects included a return visit to the moon, and a first visit to Mars. His 40 acre ranch property in central Texas is where he plans to live with his astronaut wife Shannon Walker. At this tome she is still in the NASA program and hoping for at least one more flight. We might add that QSL's to Dr. Thomas might be a bit difficult to deliver as the various on-line call sign databases list his QTH as the MIR Space Station which deorbited and essentially burned up in the Earth's atmosphere on March 21st of 2001.
You are tuned to a bulletin of the South African radio league ZS6SRL read by ---------------------and we now continue with news from the league
>> The SARL Youth net will take to the air on Sunday 6 July at 15:00. Net controller will be Mitchel Mynhardt ZS6YH. The net will operate on 7070 kHz. Clubs are invited to activate their club station and facilitate young people to join the net. One of the discussion points will be around the best time for the net and to draw up a schedule of various young radio amateurs who can act as net controller so that the net can be on the air weekly.
The objective is for the net to bring young people together. If you are not in the youth category please give the young people a chance by not joining the net but by just listening. For this first net there is a photo competition. Send in a photograph, high resolution, of a young radio amateur operating or a group of young people at the club station . Send your photograph to artoday@sarl.org.za by Thursday
10 July 2014. The prize for the photograph selected in a lucky draw will be awarded to the young person in the photograph and not the photographer. The price is a Velleman edukit which contain a soldering iron, cutters, solder and two projects. The kit valued at R395 is sponsored by Electronics FG, of
Faerie Glen, Pretoria.
>> The SARL will once again be hosting an INTECNET on Tuesday 22 July at19:30 to brief the SARL delegates on how to vote on the various IARU region one meeting agenda items. Links to the various agenda item will be available on the SARL web from early next week. The three delegates representing the SARL, Geoff Levy ZS6C, Rassie Erasmus, ZS1YT and Riaan Greeff, ZS4PR will discuss the various proposals on HF,VHF and contesting as wells as IARU financial issues. Clubs wishing to link their repeaters to the network should send details such the landline number to artoday@sarl.org.za by not later than 15 July 2014
>> This week the Kempton Park Amateur Radio Technical Society issued a challenge to other clubs to follow their example and affiliate with the SARL. Although the affiliation fee for clubs is only R50 per annum, KART believes that clubs should contribute the full membership fees of R430. Thanks to KART members and committee for their support. It is much appreciated. Bloemfontein Amateur Radio Club responded to the challenge and above the R50 affiliation fee contributed a further R450. Well done Bloemfontein and thank you.
And while we are on the subject On Tuesday 24 June at 08:19 the Bloemfontein ARC paid its R50 affiliation fee and a R450 donation to the SARL. This to improve on the challenge of KARTS. The deposit document was e-mailed to the SARL Office on the same day.
Contest news
>> The call sign ZS9HQ was assigned to the South African Radio League by ICASA and will be operated from the National Amateur Radio Centre during the IARU HF Championships. South African Radio League President, Geoff Levey, ZS6C is inviting radio amateurs to join him for the contest. Both phone and CW contesters are required. Please send an email to Geoff at contest@sarl.org,za with your call sign and contact details. Geoff will contact you to discuss the operational schedule, or call him on 082 546 5546
This anual event takes place next weekend so it is imperative that you contact Geoff as soon as possible. The event starts at 12:00 UTC Saturday and ends 24 hours later at 12:00 Sunday.
>> Results of SARL Digital contest held on the 25th May 2014
17 stations were on the air of which 2 were DX contacts. Unfortunately on 3 logs were received
1st Pravin Kumat ZS5LT
2nd Ken Gurr ZS6KN
3rd Janusz Danilowicz ZS1BHJ
Congratulations to Pravin
>> The ZS4Sprint was once again a well participated event this year. 13 logs was received, and up to 62 stations was worked across Southern Africa! First place is awarded to Bloemfontein radio club that worked 62 stations to make 114 points. Second place goes to Jan Botha ZS4JAN who worked 50 contacts to earn 100 points. Closely followed by Johann van Zijl ZS4DZ who made 46 contacts and earned 96 points. Congratulations to all that participated.
HF Propagation report
Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the expected solar activity will be at higher levels than previous weeks. Big Sunspots AR2104 and AR2107 have "beta-gamma" magnetic fields that harbor 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 130.
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. With the increased solar activity some exciting 6 m openings are also a possibility during the early evenings.
Please visit the website spaceweather.sansa.org.za for further information.
Diary of events
13 and 13 July 2014 you may partake in the IARU HF Championships as well as in WRTC 14.19 July the SARL Winter QRP Sprint; 26&27 July RSGB Oslands on the air contest, and 3 August the SARL HF Phone contest, find out môre about these and other happenings from the SARL diary of events on the SARL website.
We end this bulletin with a quick recap of the leading story: Bookings for the Johannesburg and Pretoria Radio Technology in Action Symposiums open today. The Johannesburg RTA will be held at the National Amateur Radio Centre on Saturday 23 August and the Pretoria RTA on 13 September at the Innovation Hub
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 and edited by Dawie Conradie ZR6DHC
Thank you for listening 73’s
/EX
