SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE NEWS SUNDAY 24 JULY 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.

We start this bulletin with news of a silent key.

It is with deep regret that we must announce the passing of Quintin Immelman, ZS6IY, on Saturday 23 July after suffering a heart attack.

We extend our sincere condolences to his parents, Lorna and Gary, ZS6YI, their family and friends.

PAUSE

In the news today,

HANS VAN DE GROENENDAAL, ZS6AKV, AWARDED THE IARU PRESIDENT'S AWARD

THE ZS2 SPRINT THIS AFTERNOON

and

THE SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING ON 30 JULY

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

** On Thursday 21 July, Hans van de Groenendaal, ZS6AKV, was informed by the IARU Secretariat that the IARU President’s Award has been awarded to him for his many years of service to the IARU and the contributions he has made to the IARU especially in the area of satellite frequency coordination. The award will be presented to Hans during an upcoming League function.

Congratulations Hans.

** The ZS2 Sprint is on the air this afternoon from 14:00 to 15:00 UTC with CW and phone activity on 40 metres. Here is your chance to get those ZS2 QSOs for your Worked all ZS award. Working a station in ZS2 counts 2 points and working the Border Radio Club, ZS2BRC, and the Port Elizabeth Amateur Radio Society, ZS2PE, are worth 5 points each. All other contacts count 1 point. Find all the information on page 49 of the 2016 SARL Blue Book.

** The South African Radio League Special General meeting will be held at the National Amateur Radio Centre on Saturday 30 July 2016 starting at 10 am. Registration will start at 8 am. Only the items on the SGM agenda will be discussed. The agenda is as follows: SGM administrative issues, update on the financial reports, the revised budget, appointment of an auditor, formal announcement of the new council, the Antenna Defence Fund and a report on the Hall of Fame. No other matters can be discussed at an SGM.

If you are attending please send an e-mail to admin@sarl.org.za to confirm your attendance, this will assist with the arrangements to accommodate everyone. The NARC has seating arrangements for 50 persons. Because of the short nature of the meeting, no catering arrangements will be made. If you are not attending, please give your proxy to someone who is attending. Members who hold a large number of proxies are requested to arrive as soon as possible after 8 am.

** Join the AMSAT SA "Future of Satellite SDR" conversation. AMSAT SA invites interested radio amateurs to join the conversation about the use of SDR transponders on satellites. It will take place on Wednesday 27 July at 20:30 on Skype. The objective is to discuss software defined radio applications and to establish an amateur radio research group to develop a SDR transponder. To join the conversation, send an e-mail to saamsat@intekom.co.za by Tuesday afternoon. Deon Coetzee, ZR1DE, will moderate the conversation. Only 10 participants can be accommodated. Participants must ensure that they are using the latest updated Skype software. A report will be published after the discussion on www.amsatsa.org.za

** What can we expect on VHF in the coming months? Warmer conditions will start to appear in the month of August. So what can we expect during the months ahead? Tropo Enhancement and Ducting should produce strong signals again for the next 8 months or longer over the frequency range of 50 MHz to 10 GHz. Although Meteor scatter on digital can be worked throughout the year on 50 to 432 MHz, analogue contacts are only possible during meteor showers from April to beginning of August, and again from October to beginning of January. The TEP season runs from September to November and February to April, producing DX signals on 50 -144 MHz to Southern Europe. The Sporadic-E in the Southern Hemisphere peaks in December and January with very strong signals on 50 - 144 MHz up to 2 500 km.

Then of course, we have year-round propagation such as the following: Aircraft Scatter and Tropo Scatter manifest on 50 MHz to 10 GHz, but Tropo Scatter requires a high gain antenna and higher power. EME DX can be worked daily on 50 MHz to 24 GHz, as long as the Moon is visible at both ends. Then local and DX Satellite contacts are possible from 144/432 MHz and even up to 2,4 GHz if suitable satellites are on the air. Also, see the colour propagation chart on the front cover of the September/October 2013 issue of Radio ZS.

** The closing date for articles for the August issue of Radio ZS is Tuesday 26 July and you can send your article to radiozs@sarl.org.za. In the August issue, you can read about the 9M0Z DXpedition, get information on a number of projects, and read about the highest SOTA activation in South Africa. There is still space for your article.

The Editor notes that only 423 copies of the July Radio ZS have been download.

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

** Applications for membership of the South African Radio League have been received from the following persons - Tarquin Roode, ZR1TR, Reg du Toit, ZS1ADC, C A Blackie, ZS1CAB, Tamara Jade Nieuwoudt, ZS1PTT, Merrick Flugel, ZS2MH, Randall Steve Botha, ZS5EE, Keith Duffield, ZS5KAD, Malcolm Jacobs, ZS5MBJ, Christiaan C Greyling, ZR6AUI, Brian Frederick Edwards, ZS6AAB, and Robert Miles, ZS6YC

Any objections to the acceptance of the applications must reach the Secretary before or on the Tuesday after this bulletin. The League now has 1 083 confirmed members for the next term; there are still many renewals outstanding. If you have not yet renewed your membership, please do so now. At the end of August, you will cease to be a member if you have not renewed. Thirty-one Clubs have already renewed their affiliation.

** VHF News from Division 3. Kobus van der Merwe, ZS3JPY, reported from Kleinzee that they had great 2 metre QSOs on 145,500 FM simplex on Tuesday evening, 19 July, along the West Coast of South Africa. It covered Andre, V51LZ, in Oranjemund, Kobus, ZS3JPY, in Kleinzee, Charles, ZS1CF, in Langebaan and Tienie, ZS1HO, in Vredenburg for an hour and a half with good S9 signals. Charles, ZS1CF, beamed at the Picketberg with a 10 element Yagi vertical polarized; they also tried the 145,625 MHz repeater on Picketberg, but it did not even make a noise, again great backscatter playing a roll. Pieter, V51PJ with 1 000 watts was on frequency, but was beaming to Oranjemund horizontal and Andre, V51LZ, received him but no one else could hear him. The Northern Cape ARC, ZS3NC, was asked to listen as well and Andre, ZS3AG in Kimberly, could hear only traces of audio. It was a small opening with great results again.

** People interested in helping compile, proofread or read the League news bulletins, are urged to contact Dawie, ZR6DHC, on zr6dhc@zs6rtb.co.za

** Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the solar activity is expected to be at low to moderate levels. Sunspots 2565 and 2567 have complex magnetic configurations and may be the 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 24. The 20 and 15 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 ZS2 Sprint
26 July – closing date for August Radio ZS articles
30 July – the Special General Meeting at the National Amateur Radio Centre
30 and 31 July – Islands on the Air contest
7 August – SARL HF Phone Contest
9 August – SARL YL Sprint
14 August – SARL Youth Net

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

The ZS2 Sprint is on the air this afternoon from 14:00 to 15:00 UTC with CW and phone activity on 40 metres. Here is your chance to get those ZS2 QSOs for your Worked all ZS award.

The South African Radio League Special General meeting will be held at the National Amateur Radio Centre on Saturday 30 July 2016 starting at 10 am

** 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