SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE NEWS SUNDAY 7 FEBRUARY 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 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 the country. Echolink listeners can connect to ZS0JPL for a relay. A podcast is available from the League’s web site.

This audio bulletin can be downloaded from the League’s 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

THE AWA CW ACTIVITY DAY THIS AFTERNOON

SARL AND ICASA HELD A SUCCESSFUL WORKSHOP

and

LICENCE FEES TO INCREASE

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

** The aim of the Antique Wireless Association’s CW Activity Day, which is on the air this afternoon from 13:00 to 15:00 UTC, is for participants to contact as many amateurs as possible on 14 000 to 14 060 kHz; 7 000 to 7 035 kHz and 3 500 to 3 560 kHz. The exchange is a RST report, your name and your grid locator. Contacts count 1 point for low power and 2 points for QRP.

There are five categories of participation - single operator all band - low power (maximum 100 w); single operator all band - QRP (maximum 5 w); single operator single band - low power (maximum 100 w); single operator, single band - QRP (maximum 5 w) or short wave listener (SWL). Certificates are awarded to the first three places and the highest single band score. Logs must be submitted by Tuesday 1 March by e-mail to andy.cairns@xsinet.co.za or The Southern African Antique Wireless Association, PO Box 12320, Benoryn, 1504

** The South African Radio League and ICASA held a workshop hosted at the National Amateur Radio Centre last week. The objective was to engage ICASA employees who are not directly involved in amateur radio licensing to learn more about the various facets of the Amateur Service and the various technologies employed in Amateur Radio.

The new secondary allocation at 5 MHz was discussed. ICASA confirmed that the African block supported the WRC agenda item and said that it was largely as result of the propagation studies that the League and its members carried out and the support the ICASA team was given by the League to canvass for Regional and African support. ICASA also confirmed that the new allocation would not be a problem but that it would require a change in the table of frequency allocations. This is a lengthy process but an interim measure will be looked at. The League requested that the beacon frequency of 5 290 kHz be maintained to continue the research project until at least the start of the next solar cycle. The League will be submitting a formal motivation for consideration by the ICASA Council and proposed that the power limit be set at 26 dBW. A full report of the workshop is being prepared and will be available on the League webpages soon.

** The Council regrets to inform members that Riaan Greeff, ZS4PR, the League Treasurer, has resigned from Council. The resignation is for personal reasons and Riaan remains a respected and valued member of the South African Radio League. He will later decide at what time he will return to council. The League expresses its appreciation for Riaan's many years of service as a councillor and the enormous contribution he made as Treasurer.

** The ZS1MM Beacon on 144,414 MHz is now on the air from Bredasdorp. For the first time, a VHF beacon is covering the southern coast to indicate Tropo ducting propagation from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth and East London with all the towns in between. It was erected by Leon Korkie, ZS1MM, at his QTH in Bredasdorp, operates on a frequency of 144,414 MHz CW and radiates a bi-directional horizontally polarised signal from a dipole. Signal reports are invited.

** ICASA will be increasing the license fees for the 2016/2017 financial year. The increase will be based on the inflation rate and is expected to be six rand. ICASA will make a full announcement next week when the accounts will be posted. If you have a multi-year license, the increase will not affect you.

** The Zululand Amateur Radio Club, ZS5ZLB, will be celebrating its 21st birthday on Sunday 21 February 2016 and the club will be hosting a luncheon at the Adams Outpost in Eshowe to celebrate this wonderful milestone. The club will also be operating a field station at the venue from 09:00 – 12:00, will be on the 40 m band and invites all radio amateurs to join us on frequency to make a QSO with our club and receive a commemorative birthday QSL card. It would be wonderful to have as many amateur radio friends and family join us for the event and luncheon and any further information can be obtained from the club secretary - Dawn Snyders on 083 340 3819

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

** The theme for the March issue of Radio ZS is emergency communications. To date only two articles have been received with an emergency theme. Where are the Clubs that provide communications for motor rallies, cycle races and road running marathons? It can also cover air races and maritime communications. Your article, in English or Afrikaans, can be sent to radiozs@sarl.org.za by Wednesday 24 February.

** The results of the Summer QRP contest held on 23 January are as follows:

1st East Rand Branch, ZS6ERB - 600 points
2nd Hammies ARC, ZS6ZU - 580 points
3rd Romeo Nardini, ZS6ARQ, and the West Rand ARC - 480 points

Congratulations to the East Rand Branch

** Based on logs so far received there were almost 600 contacts made from Divisions 2, 4, 5, 6, and V5 during the PEARS VHF/UHF Contest. However, it appears that many participants are reluctant to submit logs. To make it easy you may submit your log sheet in any form, we will sort it out and calculate the distance. Even if you have not made high scores, your log still contains interesting data about the distribution of VHF amateurs and the propagation that can only be recorded during a VHF contest. Of course, it will be also a nice way of saying thank you for arranging a VHF contest. The deadline is 15 February 2016; just e-mail your logs to mikecbosch@gmail.com

** The first leg of the League’s National Field Day is on the air from 10:00 UTC on Saturday 13 February to 10:00 UTC on Sunday 14 February 2016. Activity is on all the HF bands, excluding the WARC bands and you may use phone, CW, PSK and RTTY. You and/or your club can participate in one of six classes - Class A – field station, multi operator; Class B – field station, multi operator, QRP; Class C – field station, single operator; Class D – field station, single operator, QRP, Class E – ultra light portable or Class F - general stations. To encourage more individuals and groups to participate in the National Field Day, a 6-hour section has been introduced. It need not be for one continuous 6-hour period, but once operation has commenced in the contest, off periods must be a minimum of 60 minutes.

The exchange is a RS or RST report, the number of transmitters, the Field Day operating class and the Provincial abbreviation. Logs, in ADIF, Cabrillo or MS Excel format and labelled “your call sign NFD,” must be sent by e-mail to zs4bfn@mweb.co.za. The closing date for log submissions is 21 February 2016. A photo or photos of the station in operation (JPG format) MUST accompany every log entry. Please consult the 2016 SARL Blue Book for the complete rules.

** The SARL News team is constantly on the lookout for new members to join our team. You may assist with the actual compilation, proofreading or recording of the weekly SARL news bulletins. Should you wish to become involved, please contact Dawie, ZR6DHC, on e-mail zr6dhc@zs6rtb.co.za

** Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the solar activity is expected to be at low to moderate levels. New Sunspot AR2494 is growing rapidly and may soon be a source of M-class solar flares.

If you want to do your own frequency predictions, the expected effective sunspot number for the week will be around 56. The 20 to 10 m bands will provide lots DX fun. Please visit the website spaceweather.sansa.org.za for further information.

Now for the diary of events

Today at 13:00 UTC the AWA CW Activity Day
13 and 14 February – the SARL National Field Day
14 February – the SARL Youth Net at 15:00 UTC on 7 070 kHz
15 February – closing date for the PEARS VHF/UHF logs
21 February – Zululand ARC 21st Birthday luncheon
24 February – closing date for articles for the March 2016 Radio ZS
27 February – the West Rand ARC Flea Market
28 February – The SARL Digital Contest
29 February – the Leap Year Challenge
1 March – closing date for AWA CW logs

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

The aim of the Antique Wireless Association’s CW Activity Day, which is on the air this afternoon from 13:00 to 15:00 UTC, is for participants to contact as many amateurs as possible on 14 000 to 14 060 kHz; 7 000 to 7 035 kHz and 3 500 to 3 560 kHz. The exchange is a RST report, your name and your grid locator. Contacts count 1 point for low power and 2 points for QRP.

** 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 ………………………………………………….

73 and 88, thank you for listening

/EX