SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE NEWS SUNDAY 10 APRIL 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 Leagues web site.
This audio bulletin can be downloaded from the Leagues 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.
We start the news with a silent key notification
During the week, SARL News was informed of the passing of Charles Edward Robins, ZS4NX, on 24 June 2015.
We extend our sincere condolences to his wife, family and his friends.
PAUSE
In the news today,
SARL YOUTH NET TODAY AT 15:00 UTC
A VHF SUCCESS STORY FROM ZS4A
and
THE RESULTS OF THE SARL VHF AND UHF CONTEST
Stay tuned for more on these and other interesting news items.
** The monthly South African Radio League Youth Net will be held this afternoon at 15:00 UTC. Join Koos Fick, ZR6KF, on 7 070 kHz this afternoon. Clubs are invited to use the opportunity to introduce young persons to amateur radio by inviting them to join the event and get to talk on the air under the supervision of a licensed radio amateur.
** The South African Radio League National Convention will be held over the weekend of 20 to 22 May 2016. The Sasolburg Radio Club will host the National Convention at Be My Guest guesthouse in Sasolburg. Come and enjoy the National Convention with us. Please go to the Leagues web page at www.sarl.org.za for more information and the registration forms. We hope to see you all at this great event.
** Rickus de Lange, ZS4A, at Bethlehem, only joined the Gauteng VHF group in May last year. He was using a skeleton slot antenna about 2 metres high when Carl, ZS6CBQ, worked him at S3 to 4 in Krugersdorp 236 km away, but others in the Gauteng area could not hear him. A month later, he successfully worked Dick, ZS6BUN, and Koos, ZS6BFD, on 144 MHz JT65b. He improved his antenna system and height and in January 2016, he was logged at S9+20 dB by ZS6CBQ on 144,300 MHz SSB and could work everyone in the Gauteng area. Rickus also participated in the PEARS National VHF and UHF Contest in January and won the Divisional 4 category scoring 46 344 points. He then started on his EME tower, rotator system and two 10-element OWL Yagi antennas and got them all finished about two weeks ago and on 25 March 2016, with only 160 Watts, he worked his first EME station, Franko, I2AK, on 144 MHz JT65b. Congratulations Rickus on a very fine effort.
** Registration for the May 2016 Radio Amateur Examination closes on Thursday 14 April 2016. Candidates need to ensure that the following documents are uploaded, if not done yet a copy of your ID document and the ICASA signature form. Payment needs to have been made before 14 April 2016.
The cost: if you are over the age of 25, it is R475.00 and if you are 25 years and younger, the cost is R 375.00. Enquiries can be sent via e-mail to rae@sarl.org.za.
** World Amateur Radio Day, observed every year on 18 April, marks the founding of the International Amateur Radio Union in 1925. Radio amateurs worldwide will take to the airwaves to celebrate amateur radio's contribution to society. The IARU has provided a World Amateur Radio Day poster, in two sizes: 61 x 91 cm and a small (A4) flyer that can be downloaded from www.iaru.org under the 'operating' tab. Amateurs are encouraged to promote their activity on social media by using the hashtag #WARD2016.
You are listening to a news bulletin of the South African Radio League.
** Application for membership of the South African Radio League has been received from Regardt Kruger, ZSL1158.
Any objections to the acceptance of this application must reach the League Secretary before or on the Tuesday following this bulletin. The membership of the League currently stands at 1 651 members and 47 affiliated clubs
** You can join the League for the remaining period of the financial year for only R240 as a full member. If you are a pensioner and over 65 years of age, the rate is R140. If you join now you will be a member until 30 June 2016 when the SARL will invoice you for the next year's membership. Full details are on www.sarl.org.za, - select membership in the left-hand column. For more information, call Vonnie at the NARC at 011 675 2393. Join the South African Radio League today; it is the right thing to do if amateur radio is important to you.
** The theme for the May 2016 issue of Radio ZS is digital radio. Get your article to the Editor by 25 April. It can be in Afrikaans or English and from one page to six pages long. Send it to radiozs@sarl.org.za
** The results of the SARL VHF/UHF contest held on 19 and 20 March 2016 are as follows. Only nine logs were received although there were 56 stations on the air. No stations from Division 1 and 3 took part in this SARL contest.
1st Dick Coates, ZS6BUN 91 312 points
2nd Carl Minne, ZS6CBQ 77 080 points
3rd Christo Greyling, ZR6AUI/4 47 007 points
Base station Unlimited: Dick Coates, ZS6BUN - 91 312 points
Base station Limited A: Carl Minne, ZS6CBQ 77 080 points
Base station Limited 4 Hours: Koos Greyvenstein, ZS6KSG 24 769 points
Field station: Christo Greyling, ZR6AUI/4 47 007 points
Longest Distance:
6 metres - ZS6BUN to ZS2ACP - 881 km digital using FSK441
2 metres - ZS6BUN to ZS2ACP - 881 km digital using FSK441
4 metres - ZS6PTA to ZS6ARA - 25 km FM
70 cm - ZS6CBQ to ZR6AUI/4 - 152 km SSB
** Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the solar activity is expected to be at low to moderate levels. New sunspot AR2529 is quite large but it appears to have a simple magnetic field that poses little threat for strong solar flares.
If you want to do your own frequency predictions, the expected effective sunspot number for the week will be around 32. The 20 to 10 m bands will provide lots of DX fun. Please visit the website spaceweather.sansa.org.za for further information.
Now for the diary of events
This afternoon the SARL Youth Net at 15:00 UTC on 7 070
14 April closing date for the May RAE registrations and SARL 80 m QSO party logs
17 April closing date for Autumn QRP contest logs
18 April World Amateur Radio Day
24 April the ZS4 Sprint
25 April closing date for the May Radio ZS articles
To end this bulletin, a recap of our main news item this morning.
The monthly South African Radio League Youth Net will be held this afternoon at 15:00 UTC. Join Koos Fick, ZR6KF, on 7 070 kHz this afternoon. Clubs are invited to use the opportunity to introduce young persons to amateur radio by inviting them to join the event and get to talk on the air under the supervision of a licensed radio amateur.
** 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
