SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE NEWS SUNDAY 24 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 08:15 Local Time in Afrikaans and at 08:30 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 this and previous bulletins in text format under the news link on the left-hand side of the web page. While you are there, you may sign up to receive future bulletins by e-mail.


IN THE NEWS TODAY

SUBMIT YOUR NOMINATIONS FOR SARL AWARDS

NASA TERMINATES A IMPORTANT SPACEWALK PREMATURELY

SARL @ HOME EVENT ON 30 JANUARY

AND SOME NEWS ON THE LEAP YEAR CHALLENGE

Stay tuned for mor on these and other interesting news items


** Members and clubs are invited to submit nominations to Council for the following SARL awards. These nominations are to reach the SARL Secretary at before 31 January 2016.

Categories are:

Honorary Life Membership - the SARL's highest honour

Willie Wilson Gold Badge
Awarded by Council to the amateur that gave exceptional and meritorious service to the League.

Jack Twine Award
To recognise qualities such as unselfishness, clean operating and a genuine interest in Amateur Radio and its affairs. This prestigious Award will be made to Amateurs who, in the opinion of their fellow amateurs and the League's Council, exemplify the qualities desirable in a Radio Amateur.

Arthur Hemsley 2 metre Trophy
Awarded by Council to a Radio Amateur for his/her individual achievements with transmissions in the 2 metre amateur band. This award is made for extraordinary performance on EME or modes such as tropospheric propagation. It is not for the longest distance worked but rather for persistence in achieving something special on 2 metres.

Barney Joel Trophy
Awarded by Council to any member of the SARL for the best performance during the year whilst working HF mobile. This award could be made for performance by an individual in rally or other public event communication etc.

Icom Excellence Award
This award is bestowed annually by Council on the amateur who through his/her activity in the Amateur Service has brought international recognition to South Africa by either the achievement of a VHF/UHF long distance record which is internationally recognized by the IARU, or by service to the Republic of South Africa or the SARL in the field of scientific research using the amateur spectrum, or in promoting the amateur service internationally or as Council may determine from time to time.

Joseph White Plaque
Awarded by Council to any member of the SARL for exceptional achievements in the 432 MHz band during the past year. This is not awarded for the longest distance worked, but for all round achievements.

Bert Buckley Six metre Trophy
Awarded by Council to any radio amateur for his/her individual achievements with transmissions in the six metre amateur band. This award is not for the longest distance worked but for outstanding work or activity on six metres.

Tinus Lange 7066 Technical Exellence Award
The award will be bestowed annually on the persons who submit a technical project in any of the following categories:
Design and-or construction of projects such as a pre-amp, SWR bridge, patching unit, automatic ID-er, practical antenna ideas, mast, portable gear, power supplies etc.

Any software for use in Amateur Radio
The submission must include the following:
The actual items, if size and mass allows it, or photographs, particular in the case of antennas-mast etc.
A complete write-up in article form with illustrations-pictures ready for publication in Radio ZS
The Award
Technical Achievement Award A framed certificate and a cash award of R1000

Presentation
All entries to be displayed (where practical, otherwise photographs) at the AGM and the award to be presented at the annual dinner.
Closing date
Entries close each year on January 31.


SAATI Award
Awarded by Council to a South African radio amateur who has made an exceptional contribution in the field of digital communication in either the development of hardware or software. This is an award for development work, not for operating achievements. It is not limited to members of the SARL.

** Rick Roderick, K5UR, is elected as the ARRL's 16th President. The ARRL Board of Directors has elected ARRL First Vice President Rick Roderick, K5UR, of Little Rock, Arkansas, as the ARRL President. The Board took this action as it convened for its 2016 Annual Meeting on 15 and 16 January. Rick officially assumed office for a 2-year term at the conclusion of the Annual Meeting and succeeds Kay Craigie, N3KN, of Blacksburg, Virginia, who had served for three terms since being elected in 2010. Rick has been an amateur for 48 years and is active on HF and VHF/UHF.

** NASA prematurely terminated the 15 January spacewalk that astronauts Tim Peake, KG5BVI, and Tim Kopra, KE5UDN, had been undertaking since early that morning. The two were replacing a voltage regulator near the solar arrays that had failed in November outside the International Space Station (ISS) when Kopra reported what NASA Control called "a small amount of water" inside his space helmet. NASA cut the spacewalk short at about 17:00 UTC.

The incident recalled the 2013 problem suffered by astronaut Luca Parmitano, KF5KDP, when his helmet inexplicably began filling with water. The situation became urgent by the time Parmitano and fellow spacewalker Chris Cassidy, KF5KDR, were ordered back into the ISS. NASA subsequently blamed the water build-up on unexplained cooling system issues.

The 15 January spacewalk was the first for Peake and the third for Kopra. Peake, the first UK astronaut and Kopra arrived at the ISS in December. All Amateur Radio equipment on the ISS is routinely shut down during EVAs, effectively postponing planned commemorative slow-scan TV transmissions.



** This is an open invitation to join a morning of amateur radio activity. On Saturday 30 January all roads will lead to the NARC for the first SARL@home event for 2016. The programme features:
9:00am Registration for new Class B course
9:30am Meet and greet all the parents and new comers
10:00am Hammies field station at NARC (the ZU team working on 40m. Hopefully condition will allow contacts with the Hammies in KZN and PE)
10:30am Welcome by Nico van Rensburg ZS6QL
11:00am Video on amateur radio (The new RSGB video)
11:15am Refreshments
11:30am YOTA presentation by Koos Fick ZR6KS
11:45am 2016 YOTA Austria team announcement
12:00pm Photo shoot
12:15pm General open session - Discussion on 5MHz band plan


** You are invited to take part in the Leap Year Challenge on Monday 29 February 2016 and make as many contacts as you can on this day. The challenge starts at 00:01 and ends at 23:59 CAT all modes, all bands. Work a station once only regardless of band, mode or call sign.

Submit your log by e-mail to zs4bfn@mweb.co.za by midnight Wednesday 2 March 2016. The log received with the most QSOs will win a SARL membership for 2016/2017. If you do not take part, you will have to wait until 2020, the next leap year, to put the date 29 February into your logbook!

** The next flea market of the East Rand Radio Club is taking place on 30 January 2016
Starting 12H00 Mid day
Clubhouse in Ebenezer Str
Arrowe Park
Benoni.

Don't miss out on specials or even our auction that is taking place during the flea market.

Please make sure to be there and bring lots of money and the whole family

For more info contact Judy via email on zs6erb@gmail.com

To book a table for only R20 contact Judy 0797302030 or zs6erb@gmail.com

Come taste the nicest Boerewors that you have ever tasted


PROPAGATION REPORT

Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the solar activity is expected to be at low levels. None of the currently visible sunspots pose a threat for serious flaring.

If you want to do your own frequency predictions, the expected effective sunspot number for the week will be around 51.

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

25 January - closing date for your VHF/UHF article for the February Radio ZS
30 January - SARL@Home at the NARC
31 January - The closing date for nominations for Council and the submission of motions for the AGM
31 January - closing date for the summer QRP logs
13 and 14 February - the SARL National Field Day
15 February - closing date for the PEARS VHF/UHF logs
22 to 24 April - the 2016 SARL National Convention in Sasolburg

To end this bulletin, a quick reminder for clubs and individuals to submit their nominations for the various awards to be bestowed during the anual general meeting of the SARL to be held in Sasolburg.

And 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 10:00 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; please 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 Dawie Conradie, ZR6DHC, edited by Brian Utterson, ZS6AE, and read by ..............

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


/EX