SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE NEWS SUNDAY 4 OCTOBER 2015

Good morning and welcome to the weekly news bulletin of the South African Radio League read by ………………………………………… [your name, call sign and QTH]

You can tune in to the South African Radio League news bulletin on Sunday mornings at 08:15 Central African Time in Afrikaans and at 08:30 Central African Time in English on HF and on many VHF and UHF repeaters around our country. Echolink listeners can connect to ZS0JPL for a relay. A podcast is available from the League web site.

This audio bulletin can be downloaded from the League website at www.sarl.org.za. You will find this bulletin and previous bulletins in text format under the news link on the left-hand side of the web page. While you are there, you can sign up to receive future bulletins by e-mail.

In the news today

LAST CHANCE TO BOOK FOR THE ARIA IN CAPE TOWN

CAPE YOUTH EVENT ON 9 OCTOBER

and

THE AWA AM AND SSB VALVE QSO PARTY NEXT WEEKEND

Stay tuned for more on these and other interesting news items.

** Bookings for the South African Radio League Amateur Radio in Action symposium close at midnight on Wednesday 7 October. The symposium will be held on Saturday 10 October at the Bellville Campus of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. The auditorium is in the ABC building, opposite the building where the RTA was held last year. The next few days is also the last opportunity to get the frequency counter kit which will go on general sale after the Cape Amateur Radio in Action at the price of R600 plus packaging and postage. The full programme for Saturday is available on www.sarl.org.za where you can also find the booking form.

Nico van Rensburg, ZS6QL, will bring you up to date with what is happening with the Kletskous CubeSat; find out how to build a better inverted V antenna; build a frequency counter; or learn more on how to install a radio in your vehicle. All this and much more in ARiA 2015.

** If you are under 25, join the League’s Youth Coordinator, Koos Fick, ZR6FK, on Friday afternoon at 17:00 at the Oakdale Amateur Radio Club and find out how to get more out of Amateur Radio. Please confirm your attendance to Nico, ZS6QL, by SMS to 083 269 9939. If you cannot yet drive, bring your Mom or Dad along, they are also welcome to enjoy some refreshments with us. If you are a young radio amateur, find out what you are missing and help Koos to put it right.

** In the last South African Radio League Newsletter, Council advertised several council appointee posts such as a Website Manager, a Records Manager, a Monitoring Service Manager and an IPHA Manager. The response to this advert was very encouraging; four members have volunteered their service. The only position on the list for which there was no volunteer, is the Records Manager. Please consider volunteering for this post. As soon as the formalities have been completed, the appointee’s names will be listed on the website and in Radio ZS.

There are still some vacant posts. These will be advertised in the next Newsletter; please consider volunteering. Council wants many more members involved in the running of the League.

** The commercial Andrews Dish is suitable for the 5,7 GHz amateur band. Pierre Holtzhausen, ZS6PJH, of Pretoria recently came into possession of an Andrews Dish antenna Model UHX8-59W similar to the type used in microwave networks. He has long term plans to use this on the amateur radio SHF bands.

It is a 2,4 metre diameter ultra high performance dual polarised shielded antenna, which covers Band One: 5,925 to 7,125 GHz, and Band Two: 5,725 to 5,850 GHz. This almost covers the entire 5,650 to 5,850 GHz amateur band. The gain of this antenna is around 41 dBi. The League’s current Tropo record on the 5,7 GHz band SSB stands at only 151 km as established by Ivo Chladek, ZS6AXT, and John Sygo, ZS6JON, in 2003. The League’s EME record was recorded between Ivo, ZS6AXT, and Lester Whitaker, W7CNK, on CW in 1999 over a distance of 14 745 km.

What has happened to all those parabolic dishes used by the GPO on their countrywide microwave network during the pre-satellite era?

** Members of the Scout, Guide and Voortrekkers Movements will have their annual amateur radio event over the weekend of 16 to 18 October. Jamboree on the Air and Jamboree on the Internet runs from 16 to 18 October, while CQ Hou Koers will be held on Saturday 17 October. Contact your local Scout Group, Guide Company and/or Voortrekker Commando and help them arrange for this event. Be important in the life of a child.

You are listening to a news bulletin of the South African Radio League.

** The theme for the November/December 2015 issue of Radio ZS is antennas and feed lines. Get your article to the editor by Tuesday 10 November. Send it to radiozs@sarl.org.za

** The Antique Wireless Association’s AM and SSB Valve QSO Party takes place in two session on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October. The AM section of this phone contest takes place from 13:00 to 17:00 UTC on Saturday and the SSB section will be run from 13:00 to 17:00 UTC on Sunday. Activity is on the 40 and 80 metre bands using the following segments – 7 063 to 7 100 kHz and 3 603 to 3 650 kHz. The exchange is your call sign, a RS report, a consecutive serial number starting at 001 and the type of radio used, e.g. HT37 Tx.

Using an all valve radio, you score 3 points per contact; using a hybrid - valve and solid-state radio, you score 2 points per contact and using a solid-state radio, you score 1 point per contact. The multiplier, based on your radio is - all valve radio - 3 points per contact, Hybrid - valve and solid state - 2 points per contact and solid-state radio - 1 point per contact. Certificates will be awarded to the first three places in each category – AM and SSB.

Logs must be submitted by 31 October to andyzs6ady@vodamail.co.za or by snail mail to the Southern African Antique Wireless Association, PO Box 12320, Benoryn, 1504. Please refer to the 2015 SARL Contest Manual for any enquiries.

** The following clubs have affiliated to the South African Radio League. Club chairmen are requested to confirm their club details on the League call book.

The Antique Wireless Association, ZS0AWA; the Boland Amateur Radio Club, ZS1BAK; the Cape Town Amateur Radio Centre, ZS1CT; the False Bay Amateur Radio Club, ZS1FRC and the Oakdale Amateur Radio Club, ZS1OAK.

The Border Radio Club, ZS2BRC; the Port Elizabeth Amateur Radio Society, ZS2PE; the Namaqualand Aero Sport Association, ZS3FLY; the Northern Cape Amateur Radio Club, ZS3NC; the Free State Amateur Radio Club, ZS4B; the Bloemfontein Amateur Radio Club, ZS4BFN; the Sasolburg Amateur Radio Club, ZS4SRK, and the Welkom Radio Club, ZS4WRC.

The Durban Amateur Radio Club, ZS5D; the Hibiscus Coast Amateur Radio Club, ZS5HAC; the Midlands Amateur Radio Club, ZS5PMB, and the Zululand Amateur Radio Club, ZS5ZLB

The Centurion Radio Amateur Club, ZS6CEN; the East Rand Radio Club, ZS6ERB; the Highveld Amateur Radio Club, ZS6HVB; the Kempton Amateur Radio Technical Society, ZS6KTS; the Lichtenburg Amateur Radio Club, ZS6LRK; the Magalies Radio Amateur Club, ZS6MRK; the Potchefstroom Amateur Radio Club, ZS6POT; the Pretoria Amateur Radio Club, ZS6PTA, and the North West Amateur Radio Club, ZS6RWT.

The Rustenburg Amateur Radio Club, ZS6RTB; the SABC Amateur Radio Club, ZS6RTV; the Secunda Amateur Radio Club, ZS6SRC; the Suidlander Radio Club, ZS6SRK; the Vaal Triangle Amateur Radio Club, ZS6VTB; the West Rand Amateur Radio Club, ZS6WR, and the Hammies Amateur Radio Club, ZS6ZU

During the last council meeting, it was decided that the names of all clubs sending applications for affiliation, would be mentioned in the SARL news. Any objections to the acceptance of the applications must reach the League Secretary before or on the Tuesday after this bulletin.

** The Annual General Meeting of the Magalies Radio Amateur Club took place on Saturday 12 September 2015. The following club members were elected to serve on the committee.

Chairman: Thys Maree, ZS6MJM
Vice Chairman: Pieter Myburg, ZS6PAM
Secretary: Irene Myburg
Treasurer: Pieter Myburg, ZS6PAM
Technical coordinator: Sam van Zyl, ZS6JZ
Editor of Teenspanning: Pieter van der Walt, ZS6BVT
Bulletin coordinator: Chris van Eeden, ZS6CVE
Web master: Thys Maree, ZS6MJM

Congratulation and good luck to the newly elected committee. A big word of thanks to the retiring committee members. Thank you for your valued contribution this past year.

** In the propagation report, Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the solar activity is expected to be at moderate levels. Sunspot AR2422 has started to decay but still contains a complex magnetic configuration that harbours enough 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 47.

The 20 to 10 m bands will provide lots of DX fun, especially during the late afternoons and in the evenings. Please visit the website spaceweather.sansa.org.za for further information.

And now for the diary of events

7 October – closing date for registration for the Cape ARiA and ordering the frequency counter kit
9 October – The Cape Youth Event at the Oakdale Club
10 October – the Amateur Radio in Action symposium at the Bellville campus of CPUT
10 and 11 October – the AWA valve contest
15 October – the Radio Amateur Examination
16 to 18 October – Jamboree-on-the-Air
17 October – CQ Hou Koers
24 and 25 October – the CQ WW DX SSB contest
10 November – closing date for articles for the November/December Radio ZS

To end this bulletin, a recap of our main news item this morning.

** If you are under 25, join the League’s Youth Coordinator, Koos Fick, ZR6FK, on Friday afternoon at 17:00 at the Oakdale Amateur Radio Club and find out how to get more out of Amateur Radio.

** Bookings for the South African Radio League Amateur Radio in Action symposium close at midnight on Wednesday 7 October. The symposium will be held on Saturday 10 October at the Bellville Campus of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.

** Clubs and individuals are invited to submit news items of interest to radio amateurs and shortwave listeners, if possible, in both English and Afrikaans, by following the news inbox link on the South African Radio League web page. News items for inclusion in the bulletin should reach the news team no later than the Thursday preceding the bulletin date.

You are welcome to join us every Sunday morning for the weekly amateur radio magazine programme ‘Amateur Radio Today’ at 10:00 Central African Time. The programme can be heard on VHF and UHF repeaters countrywide and on 7 082 kHz lower side-band and on 7 205 kHz and 17 760 kHz AM. There is also a podcast available from Dick Stratford, ZS6RO. A rebroadcast can be heard on Monday evenings at 18:30 Central African Time on 3 230 kHz AM.

We welcome your signal reports, comments and suggestions; send these by e-mail to artoday@sarl.org.za. Sentech sponsors the radio transmissions on the non-amateur frequencies.

You have listened to a news bulletin compiled by Dennis Green, ZS4BS, edited by Dave Reece, ZS1DFR, and read by ……………..…………………

From the entire news team, best wishes for the week ahead.

73's and thank you for listening

/EX