SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE NEWS SUNDAY 11 SEPTEMBER 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 as well as 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 find this as well as 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:
SARL FORMS DIGITAL REPEATER SUBCOMMITTEE
RESULTS OF THE SARL HF PHONE, DIGITAL AND CW CONTESTS
TRANSATLANTIC TESTS MARRED BY BAD WEATHER & STRONG WINDS
"ENIGMA RELOADED" 2016
JAMBOREE ON THE AIR
PROJECT LEXICON STILL IN FULL SWING
OCTOBER 2016 RAE
EAST RAND FLEA MARKET AND BOOT SALE
OVERBERG AMATEUR RADIO CLUB ANTENNA PARTY
HF PROPAGATION REPORT
and
UPCOMING EVENTS
** The SARL is forming a Digital Repeater Subcommittee. The subcommittee will be convened by the SARL Repeater Co-ordinator, Ronald Verweerdt ZS6RVC and its purpose will be to co-ordinate, enable and promote the use of digital repeaters, their linking and networking, and related technology to amateur radio operators in South Africa.
** Following a query and some spot checks, the Contest Committee decided to do a check on all the logs submitted for the three HF Contests. An error was found in a formula in the Excel log sheet and it was found that certain zones were not added up correctly. The Committee apologises for the incorrect results published in HF Happenings as well as on SARL News.
Results of the SARL HF Phone Contest
1st Jan Botha, ZS4JAN, 200 points
2nd Barry Nugent, ZS2NF, 128 points
3rd Theo Bresler, ZS6TVB, and Mitchell Mynhardt, ZS6YH, 120 points each
Deon Fraser, ZS5DCF, achieved the highest points on a single band with 119 points on 40 metres.
Club Competition
1st Bloemfontein ARC, 200 points
2nd Pretoria ARC, 187 points
3rd East Rand Branch, 120 points
Results of the SARL HF Digital Contest
1st Jan Botha, ZS4JAN, 106 points
2nd Paul Greeff, ZS6IO, 54 points
3rd Mitchell Mynhardt, ZS6YH, 52 points
Jan Botha, ZS4JAN achieved the highest points on a single band with 70 points on 40 metres
Club Competition
1st Bloemfontein ARC, 126 points
2nd Magalies ARC, 54 points
3rd East Rand Branch, 52 points
Results of the SARL HF CW Contest
The Contest Committee received 13 logs for the SARL HF CW Contest.
1st Vidi la Grange, ZS1EL, 116 points
2nd West Rand ARC, ZS6WR (operated by Joop, ZS6JP), 108 points
3rd John Kramer, ZS5J, 106 points
4th Barry Nugent, ZS2NF, and Jan Botha, ZS4JAN, 86 points each
Vidi la Grange, ZS1EL achieved the highest points on a single band with 60 points on 40 metres
Club Competition
1st Overberg ARC, 116 points
2nd West Rand ARC 108 points
3rd Zululand ARC, 106 points
Combined Results of the SARL HF Phone, Digital and CW Contests
1st Jan Botha, 392 points
2nd Mitchel Mynhardt, ZS6YH, 258 points
3rd Barry Nugent, ZS2NF, 214 points
Club Competition
1st Bloemfontein ARC, 412 points
2nd Centurion ARC, 191 points
3rd Pretoria ARC, 187 points
Congratulations to all the winners!
** The closing date for you SARL National Field Day Logs is midnight on Sunday 18 September 2016 and must be sent to zs4bfn@mweb.co.za
** Next weekend you have the choice of participating in two different contests or even combining activities. The second leg of the SARL VHF/UHF analogue and digital contest will be on the air from 10:00 UTC on Saturday 17 September to 10:00 UTC on Sunday 18 September 2016 with phone, CW and digital modes on 6, 4 and 2 metres, 70 and 23 cm and higher.
The second contest next weekend is the All Africa All Mode DX Contest, which will be on the air from 12:00 UTC on Saturday 17 September to 12:00 UTC on Sunday 18 September 2016 with phone, CW and RTTY on 160 to 10 metres. This is the world working Africa or Africa working the world.
The rules for both these contests can be found in the 2016 Blue Book and the September 2016 issue of Radio ZS.
** Pieter Jacobs, V51PJ, at Rosh Pinah informed us about the Transatlantic tests on 144 MHz conducted between Namibia and Brazil with Marcos Turbo, PY1MHZ. Marcos went down to the sea early in August, but while testing the wind picked up very strongly, trees were uprooted, and he had to pack up and move inland. So no signals were received during the early tests. They are going to try again in January 2017 when weather conditions would be a lot better. Also on the cards are some 50 MHz tests as soon as Pieter has received a matching device for his Yagi. Tests with ZD7VC have not started yet as bad weather moved into St. Helena Island and propagation conditions deterioated. However, two-way contacts on 144 MHz between Namibia and as far south as Cape Town should be a cinch during strong openings via Tropo Ducting.
** “Enigma Reloaded” will be held from 17 September to 1 October.
The main goal of the Enigma Event is to promote as much radio amateur activity as possible all over the world, celebrating the history of the Enigma cipher machine and its crucial role in the outcome of World War II, and spreading the knowledge of those key people who contributed to its decryption.
The Enigma Event 2016 will take place in two steps:
- From 17 to 30 September 2016, Italian and foreign Amateur radio stations registered as "Activator stations" will ensure the activation of their radio stations in order to allow the participants getting their scores for the "Enigma Award".
- On 1 October, the day of the final event, the Activator Stations will exchange predefined CW messages previously encyphred by a real or emulated Enigma machine.
All details and rules are available on the official website www.enigma-reloaded.it
** JOTA (Jamboree on the Air) is in its 59th Year, and we need Hams and Clubs to assist with setting up of HF stations for either a day or the full weekend for Scout Groups around the country. JOTA will be held from 15 to 17 October this year.
This is a great event which really increases youth interest in our hobby. Please contact Richard, ZS6RKE at jotajoti@sandringhamscouts.co.za or on 082 801 5006 for all the relevant information and a list of Scout groups in your area.
** Project Lexicon is still in full swing with the glossary increasing considerably. The index of the subjects has also been finalised. The first version of the glossary needs to be finalised for revision before the end of September. The content for the manual needs to be collected now and a great deal of writing remains. The project team will invite the Amateur Radio community to submit contributions for the manual. They plan to announce the subjects in batches of five so they can collect the content for the various subjects in smaller volumes. This will also give everyone who wants to make a contribution to the writing of the manual the opportunity. For more information on Project Lexicon, contact Etienne Naudé, ZS6EFN on etienne@afrigrid.com
** The closing date for the October 2016 RAE is 15 September. NO late entries can be accepted. Only candidates who have captured ALL required documentation and their proof of payment on the system will be issued an examination number and examination center. Any entries with missing information will be postponed to the RAE in May 2017.
Class B (ZU) amateurs over the age of 25 are reminded that this RAE will be their last opportunity to upgrade to a Class A license.
** The SARL received the following membership applications from:
ZS1FC Chris Pretorius
ZU6LR Louise Roux
ZSL1167 Joshua Koekemoer
Any objections against these applications must reach the SARL secretary on or before 14 September. Send your objections via email to secretary@sarl.org.za
Total membership to date: 1404
Clubs / Affiliates: 40
** ERB will be hosting its regular October HAM social, flea market and Boot sale on 1 October 2016 at the Club grounds at Arrowe Park in Benoni.
Tables and selling from the boot will be R20.00 per person selling. Tables may be booked by sending an e-mail to zs6erb@gmail.com
Refreshments are available as well as plenty of chairs and shade. Bring the family for a picnic at the dam and enjoy real HAM RADIO spirit.
Club 675 will be open and we are QRV on 145.675 FM as well as 438.975 FM.
Selling commences at 12:00 SAST.
See you at the ERB HAM Social, flea market and boot sale on 1 October 2016.
** On Saturday 3 September, the Overberg Amateur Radio Club had a small antenna party in Barrydale to get OM Mickey Warr, ZS1WA, back on the air. 3 members were present, namely Greg, ZS1EZ, Steve, ZS1BBG, André, ZS1AZ, and their XYL's. We arrived about 10:00 and soon the poles and G5RV were up in the air. A hole in the wall for the co-ax, sorting out the rig, and Mickey was on the air. Thank you Joan for the lovely lunch that we had. Thanks to all the guys who were there in spirit.
** Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the solar activity is expected to be at low levels. New sunspot AR2585 is large but does not pose a threat for solar flares at this stage.
If you want to do your own frequency predictions, the expected effective sunspot number for the week will be around 24.
The 15 to 20m bands will provide lots of DX fun with some 10m openings also possible on sunlit paths.
Please visit the website spaceweather.sansa.org.za for further information.
** Let’s look at some upcoming events:
10 – 11 September – SARL National Field Day
11 September – SARL Youth Net
17 – 18 September – All Africa DX Contest
17 – 18 September – SARL VHF/UHF Contest
24 September – KARTS Flea Market
24 – 25 September – CQ WW RTTY Contest
1 October – Spring QRP Sprint
6 October – SARL 80m QSO Party
8 – 9 October – AWA Valve QSO Party
9 October – SARL Youth Net
13 October – RAE Examination
** To conclude our bulletin a quick overview of our main news item: The SARL is forming a Digital Repeater Subcommittee. The subcommittee will be convened by the SARL Repeater Co-ordinator, Ronald Verweerdt ZS6RVC and its purpose will be to co-ordinate, enable and promote the use of digital repeaters, their linking and networking, and related technology to amateur radio operators in South Africa.
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 pod cast 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 Emile Venter, ZS6V, and read by ..............
From the news team, best wishes for the week ahead.
/EX
