SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE NEWS SUNDAY 03 JANUARY 2016

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

You may tune in to the South African Radio League news bulletin on Sunday mornings at 08 hours15 Local Time in Afrikaans and at 08 hours 30 Local Time in English on HF and on many VHF and UHF repeaters around our country. Echolink listeners may connect to ZS0JPL for a relay.

This audio bulletin may be downloaded from the League website at www.sarl.org.za, where you will also find a text version of the bulletin. While you are there, you may sign up to receive future bulletins by e-mail.
We start this morning’s bulletin with news of a silent key : It is with deep regret that we learn of the passing of Bertha Kapetijn, the wife of Hans ZS6KR, after a long illness and in particular the last few weeks of extreme suffering on 1 January 2016.
Our sympathy goes out to Hans, their children Dennis and Sonja as well as their grandchildren. May she rest in peace.
PAUSE
IN THE NEWS TODAY
NOMINATIONS FOR THE SARL COUNCIL AS WELL AS MOTIONS FOR THE AGM INVITED

INTERESTING TIPS FOR FORTHCOMING PEARS VHF CONTEST

V51PJ WILL SOON RADIATE VIA HIGH GAIN VHF & UHF ANTENNA ARRAYS

RAE NEWS


** This is a call for nomination for council. The following councilors retire after a two year period on the SARL Council. They are:
Fritz Sutherland ZS6SF
Geoff Levey ZS6C
Hans van de Groenendaal ZS6AKV
Riaan Greeff ZS4PR

They have indicated that they are available for nomination for a further two year period.

Rules for nomination:
The requirements are a nomination form, signed by 10 seconders who are all members of the SARL or either by a club of which has at least 10 members are also members of the SARL.
Please refer to the Constitution - which is available on www.sarl.org.za - for more information.

This is also a call for motions to be discussed at the AGM. Motions should be clear and concise and include a motivation and require a proposer and a seconder.

The closing date for nomination and submission of motions is on 31 January 2016 and should be addressed to the secretary at secretary@sarl.org.za or by fax to 0865528487.


** The PEARS National VHF & UHF Contest will take place within two weeks. Here are a few pointers that will make the contest even more interesting.

When working on CW adjust your frequency 1 KHz higher in order for SSB stations to hear you as well.

During periods of high activity on the calling frequencies some stations move 5 - 15 kHz away from the call frequency, as done during HF DX contests. Do tune around at times.

The FM category on 144,400 MHz and 145,500 MHz caters for newcomers to give them a taste of VHF contesting. Here they can score 10 points for every station worked in their own division or 20 points from other divisions.

Willem Badenhorst, ZS6WAB, and Ken Victor, ZS2OC, has sponsored prizes for the FM winners in Div 2 and 6 respectively. Sponsors from the other divisions are also invited.

** The new high gain antenna arrays from Pine ZS6OB have arrived in Rosh Pinah, Namibia. Pieter Jacobs, V51PJ, confirmed that the antennas are on site, and assembly has started. One mast will soon carry 2x13 el 2m Yagis, 2x18 el 70 cm Yagis, and a 9 el 6m Yagi. A seperate mast with 4m is also planned for the PEARS VHF contest. Once all masts are up Pieter will add the elevation units for EME on 6m and 2m.

** Pieter V51PJ also sent an update on Bruce ZD7VC on St. Helena. There is an EME DX-pedition planned for St. Helena Island. There might be a possibility of this group leaving their antennas behind. He is working via ZS4TX who knows the guys personally.

The D4 team is also designing a bi-directional Yagi with 6-9 dB gain in both directions. Field tests to follow shortly.

** Registrations for the May 2016 RAE opened on 2 January 2016. Before registering please read the RAE Registration information sheet. This will save you a lot of time and frustration.

Cost are R 475-00 for persons over 25 years of age and R 375-00 for those younger than 25

Inquiries may be directed to rae@sarl.org.za.

HF Propagation report

Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the solar activity is expected to be at low levels. Big Sunspot
AR2473 is decaying but can be the source of further M-class solar flares.

If you want to do your own frequency predictions, the expected effective sunspot number for the week
will be around 40.

The 20 to 15 m bands will provide lots DX fun, with some 10 m openings also possible.

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


Diary of events
3 January – Today, Kids Day activity
6 January - the NARC opens for business
9 and 10 January - Hunting Lions in the Air
10 January - the SARL Youth Net on 7 070 at 15:00 UTC
15 to 17 January - the PEARS National VHF and UHF Contest
23 January - Summer QRP Contest
31 January - The closing date for nomination for Council and the submission of motions for the AGM

That brings us to the end of this bulletin.

** 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 hoursLocal 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 may be heard on Monday evenings at 18 hours 30 local Time on 4 685 kHz AM.

Please send us your signal reports, comments and suggestions 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 Dawie Conradie, ZR6DHC, edited by Brian Utterson, ZS6AE, and read by ..............


Best wishes from the news team for the week ahead, good bye.


/EX