SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE NEWS SUNDAY 14 June 2015

Good morning and welcome!

You are tuned to theNews Bulletin of theSouth African Radio League, read by . . . . . . . . (name, callsign and QTH)

You can listen to the South African Radio League news broadcast on Sunday mornings at 08:15 SAST in Afrikaans and at 08:30 in English on HF and many VHF and UHF repeaters around our country. Echolink listeners can connect to ZS0JPL for a relay. A podcast is also available from the SARL web site at www.sarl.org.za.

This audio bulletin can be downloaded from the SARL-website You will find this bulletin and previous ones in text format under the news link on the left-hand side of the webpage. While you are there, you can sign up to receive bulletins by e-mail.

We regretably start this bulletin with news about a silent key:

It is with deep regret that we learn of the passing of Theuns Venter, ZS6BTK. Theuns was diagnosed with stomach cancer around 6 weeks ago and on the morning of 8 June lost his battle with this desease.

Theuns, leaves his wife, Annelie Venter and son Tinus Venter, ZS6TIN. He was a roll model and a man of great insight.

Our deepest sympathy and condolences to the relatives and friends of Theunis Venter, may he never be forgoten

PAUSE

IN THE NEWS TODAY

WELL KNOWN AMATEUR RADIO PERSONALITY GONE SILENT KEY

FEEDBACK ON THE ROOKIE AMATEUR RADIO PROGRAM

VHF NOT JUST FOR SUMMER

CONTEST NEWS

Stay tuned for more on these and other interesting news items

** A well-known voice in the Amateur Radio news media has gone silent.
Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, of Santa Clarita, California, died June 11
following a period of ill health. He was 73. Pasternak, together with Jim Hendershot, WA6VQP, co-founded Amateur Radio Newsline, an amateur radio news program formerly known as as The Westlink Report

Pasternak served as Newsline's managing editor and occasional newscaster for
the program. Even while hospitalized earlier this year, he kept his
ear to the ground for news from the Amateur Radio community, so he
could pass it along to those who had taken over Newsline during his
illness - discovered after he broke two ribs in a fall.

Tune in to Amateur Radio Today later this morniing to hear some more about this remarkable man


** Thank you everyone who contacted Etienne, ZS6EFN, for the feedback received following the recent announcement that the SARL will kick-off a Rookie Amateur Radio Program.

The first draft of the manifesto document has been forwarded to the SARL Vice-President, Nico van Rensburg, ZS6QL, who represents the program at league level on behalf of Ettiene

The document highlights the mission, objectives and structure in which the program will be functioning and will be discussed during the next SARL committee meeting. Ettiene is aiming to have the final document ready by the end of July

Keep an eye out for further developments by watching SARL news over the next few weeks.

Etienne may be contacted by e mail at etienne@afrigrid.com should you wish to find out more about the Rookie Amateur Radio Program or would like to volunteer your time and services.

** The Overberg Amateur Radio Club will be holding a general club meeting on the 20 June at the QTH of John, ZS1DI, at Stanford and visitors are welcome. John and Patrick, ZS1PDY, will give a short presentation on the ins and outs of foxhunting and then we will chase the fox while the braai fires are going, so please bring your handhelds. This is a bring and braai, but extra wood will always be welcome. John will be also be doing the penguin dip on behalf of charity so will be needing some moral support, maybe some spirits as well. The AWA will also be there with some of their rigs for us to look at. So, bring your rigs, surplus equipment, meat etc, and join the fun. For further details, contact Andre, ZS1AZ, at 028-5142018 or 072-7291680.

** In early years VHF amateurs used to store their VHF equipment away during winter believing that it was only a summer sport. In later years they learned that Tropo Scatter, Aircraft Scatter, EME and Satellites were year round events. But winter also produced another propagation mode, Meteor Scatter, with many meteor showers appearing in June including two daylight showers that is most effective on 50 MHz. Another interesting observation made was the effect of approaching cold fronts, which created Tropo Ducting ahead of it making long distance contacts possible even during cold winter months. So don't pack your VHF gear away, but use it and frequently listen and call especially on 144,300 MHz.

** The ZS4 Sprint will take to the air this afternoon from 14:00 to 15:00 UTC with CW and phone activity on the 40 meter band. The aim of the Sprint is to work as many radio amateurs in the Free State as possible. The exchange for ZS4 stations is a RS or RST report and their town name or abbreviation. For non-ZS4 stations, it is a RS or RST report and their provincial or country abbreviation. The following frequencies must be used - CW from 7 000 to 7 040 kHz and Phone from 7 130 to 7 190 kHz.

For ZS4 station the scoring is 1 point for contacts with stations in ZS4 and 2 points for contacts with stations in other ZS call areas or Southern African countries. For non-ZS4 stations, the scoring is 2 points with a ZS4 station and 1 point for a contact with a station in own or other ZS call areas (excluding ZS4) or Southern African countries. Contacts with the Bloemfontein ARC, ZS4BFN, Vrystaat Radioklub, ZS4B, Welkom Radio Club, ZS4WRC, or the Sasolburg ARC, ZS50SRK are worth 5 points each, only one contact per station is allowed. Log sheets must be submitted by 21 June 2015 by e-mail to zs4srk@gmail.com. A certificate will be awarded to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in the competition.

** The South African Radio League 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 League's Top Band Award. The QSO Party runs from 00:00 UTC on Thursday 25 June 2015 to 00:00 UTC on Monday 29 June 2015 with CW activity from 1 810 to 1 838 kHz and phone activity from 1 840 to 2 000 kHz. The exchange is a RS or RST report and provincial or country abbreviation. The frequency of each QSO must be shown on the log sheet. Log sheets must be submitted by 6 July 2015 by e-mail to contest@sarl.org.za.

** The ZS5 Sprint will be held from 14:00 to 15:00 UTC on Sunday 5 July 2015. The Sprint is run along the same lines as the ZS3 and ZS4 Sprints. Find all the details in the 2015 Blue Book.

** The 2015 IARU HF Championships will be held over the weekend of 11 and 12 July 2015. The contest runs from 12:00 UTC on Saturday to 12:00 UTC on Sunday with CW and phone activity on 160, 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 metres. The rules can be found in HF Happenings 569 and on the ARRL web site.

If you are interested in operating the League's HQ station during the contest, please send an e-mail to contest@sarl.org. What about a contest team made up of young radio amateurs?

PROPAGATION REPORT

Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the expected solar activity will be at low to moderate levels. Decaying sunspot AR2360 has a "beta-gamma" magnetic field that harbors 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 75.

The 20 to 15 m bands will provide lots of DX fun, especially during the late afternoons and in the evenings.

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


DIARY OF EVENTS
14 June – Youth net on 40 meters
14 June – ZS4 Sprint this afternoon
17 June – World QRP Day
20 June - SA AMSAT Simposium
21 June – Father’s day
26 tot 28 June – Ham radio in Friedrichshafen
27 June – the East Rand Winterfleamarket

And a reminder to Join the Top Band net every Tuesday and Thursday evening at 17:30 UTC (or 19:30 CAT) on 1 890 kHz



AND THAT BRINGS US TO THE END OF THIS NEWS BULLETIN.

If you have any news items of interest to amateur radio, please submit them by following the news-inbox link on the SARL webpage. News items for inclusion in the next bulletin, should reach the newsteam not later than the Thursday preceding the bulletin date.

Join us every Sunday morning at 10:00 SAST for Amateur Radio Today, the weekly amateur magazine program. This program may be heard countrywide on VHF and UHF repeaters, on 7082 kHz lower side-band as well as on 7205 kHz and 17660 kHz AM. A podcast by Dick ZS6RO is also available. There is a replay on Monday nights at 18:30 SAST on 3230 kHz AM. The radio transmissions on the non amateur frequencies, are sponsored by Sentech.

You have listened to a news bulletin of the South African Radio League, compiled by
Dawie Conradie ZR6DHC,edited byDick ZS6RO and read by . . . . . . . . . . . . . (name, callsign and QTH)

Thank you for listening. Best wishes from me and the entire news team for the week ahead.

/EX