SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE NEWS FOR SUNDAY 30 JUNE 2019
Good morning and welcome to the weekly news bulletin of the South African Radio League read by ................ [your name, call sign and QTH]
The South African Radio League broadcasts a news bulletin each Sunday in Afrikaans as well as English at 08:15 and 08:30 Central African Time respectively on HF as well as on various VHF and UHF repeaters around the country. The bulletin is relayed on Echolink by Johan, ZS6JPL. A podcast is available on the League website. Audio and text bulletins may be downloaded from the League website at www.sarl.org.za where you can also sign up to receive future bulletins by e-mail..
We start the bulletin with news of four silent keys.
It is with deep regret that we announce that the keys of Joe Sultz, ex-ZS6AQO, Claude Arnott, ZS2AZT, Richard Mecke, ZS1MRS and Gerald Meneses, ZS1GRM went silent in the past two weeks.
Joe, ZS6AQO passed away in the week of 17 June at the age of 95. We extend our condolences to his family and friends.
Claude, ZS2AZT previously ZS6AZT, of Graaf Reinet passed away on Sunday 23 June 2019. Our condolences to his wife Marge, family and friends.
Richard, ZS1MRS passed away on Tuesday 25 June 2019. We extend our condolences to his wife, Mary, ZS1MMM, family and friends.
Gerald, ZS1GRM passed away on Thursday 27 June 2019. Our condolences to his wife, son-in-law Daniel, ZS1DEA, family and friends.
PAUSE
In the news, today:
TWO LOCAL CONTESTS NEXT WEEKEND
THE SARL/AMSAT SA VHF WORKSHOP
and
THE JULY RADIO ZS
Stay tuned for more information on these and other interesting news items.
The News team welcomes Herman Erasmus, ZS6CTA, Herman will be one of the English bulletin readers.
TWO LOCAL CONTEST NEXT WEEKEND
The SARL Newbie QSO Party is a fun activity to encourage all new radio amateurs to become active – if you wrote the RAE in May, then this contest is for you. The QSO Party will be run from 08:00 to 20:00 UTC on Saturday 6 July 2019 with phone activity on 20, 40 and 80 metres. The exchange and scoring depend on how long you have been an amateur. Log sheets in only MS Excel format must be submitted by 15 July 2019 by e-mail to ZS3VDK@webmail.co.za.
The ZS5 Sprint is a fun activity to promote contacts between radio amateurs in Kwazulu-Natal and radio amateurs in Southern African countries. It is a CW and phone contest on 40 metres and takes place from 14:00 to 15:00 UTC on Sunday 7 July 2019. ZS5 stations will give an RS or RST report and their town name or abbreviation, other stations will give a RS or RST report and their provincial or country abbreviation. Logs, in ADIF, Cabrillo or MS Excel spreadsheet labelled “my call sign ZS5 Sprint,” must be submitted by 15 July 2019 by e-mail to zs5contest@harc.org.za.
The excel log sheets can be found on the Contest page on the League web site. The rules can be found on page 43 and page 60 of the 2019 SARL Blue Book.
PETITION FOR RULEMAKING ASKS FCC TO CREATE A NEW 8-METRE AMATEUR BAND
The FCC has put on public notice for comment a Petition for Rulemaking (RM-11843) that seeks the creation of a new 8-metre Amateur Radio allocation on a secondary basis. The Petition suggests the new band could be centred on an industrial-scientific-medical (ISM) segment somewhere between 40,51 and 40,70 MHz. The spectrum between 40 and 41 MHz is currently allocated to the Federal Government and, as such, within the purview of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). ARRL member Michelle Bradley, KU3N, of Maryland, filed the Petition in May.
Radio amateurs in South Africa already have access to the 8 metre band at 40,675 to 40,685 MHz for propagation studies only.
THE SARL/AMSAT SA VHF WORKSHOP
The next SARL/AMSAT SA VHF Workshop will take place from 08:30 to 13:30 CAT on Saturday 20 July 2019 at the National Amateur Radio Centre in Octave Street, Radiokop. Registration starts at 08:30. Following the opening by Nico, ZS6QL, the big debate on Horizontal versus Vertical will be led by Dick, ZS6BUN. Brian, ZS6YZ will give an update on the 2 metre beacon project and Pine, ZS6OB will discuss antennas for your VHF Station. Hans, ZS6AKV will talk about the West Coast propagation phenomena and in the quick fire session, Brian, ZS6YZ will talk about the Reverse Beacon Network, Hans, ZS6AKV will talk about the HF Noise Floor and Nico, ZS6QL will talk about why VHF and UHF is important for the future of our hobby. Mid-morning light refreshments will be served. The registration fee is R50 for SARL and AMSAT SA Members and R100 for non-members. To register follow the links on www.sarl.org.za
You are listening to a news bulletin of the South African Radio League which is broadcast via the Eastern Cape Repeater network as well as on 7 098 kHz from Port Elizabeth.
THE JULY RADIO ZS
The July 2019 issue of Radio ZS is available for download from the Radio ZS page on the League web site. In this issue you can read more about Youth in amateur radio with articles about the Reddam House Amateur Radio Club in Cape Town, the Jeugland Amateur Radio Club in Kempton Park and the Youth activities at Ham Radio 2019 in Friedrichshafen.
Do you suffer from HTAS? And will Mount Athos Be Silent? On the VHF side, you can read about the 2 metre QSO between the Cape Verde Islands and Guadeloupe, as well as a turnstile antenna for 2 metres and a 137 MHz antenna. On the HF side we look at antennas for the low frequencies, the 2 200 and 630 metre bands. There is lots more in this 72 page issue.
AMSAT SA DUAL BAND YAGI NOW AVAILABLE FOR EXPORT
Following requests from many amateurs outside South Africa, AMSAT SA can offer the dual band Yagi for export, if ordered in a batch of 6. This is an ideal way for a club or group of amateurs to place one order and benefit from the sharing of the courier cost. Details are available on www.amsatsa.org.za. Delivery is between 5 and 7 days. New stocks are arriving soon. In South Africa the Yagi can be ordered in single or multiple units. Up to 4 Yagis can be shipped in one parcel at the Postnet to Postnet rate of R120 inclusive of packaging.
CHECK YOUR QSLS ON THE SARL WEB
When last did you check on the SARL web to see if you received any electronic QSLs? Go to www.sarl.org.za/saqsl/default.asp and follow the link. You may just be preventing an amateur from applying for awards because you have not acknowledged the QSLs sent to you.
HAM RADIO 2019 REPORTS 14 300 ATTENDED FROM 50 COUNTRIES
While radio amateurs in North America enjoyed the ARRL Field Day over the weekend of 21 to 23 June, some 14 300 visitors from more than 50 countries arrived on the shores of Lake Constance in Friedrichshafen, Germany, for HAM RADIO 2019. This year's show boasted 184 exhibitors and associations from 32 countries.
A large contingent representing Youngsters on the Air (YOTA), an initiative of IARU Region 1, helped promote the 2019 YOTA summer camp to be held from 11 to 17 August near Sofia in Bulgaria. During HAM RADIO 2019, young amateurs carried the YOTA flag to each of the stands organized by International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) member-societies, gathering crowds to cheer on the young amateurs.
The SARL Team of Nico, ZS6QL and Koos, ZR6KF were at Ham Radio 2019 to hand over the YOTA Flag and Morse Key to the BFRA team of Panayot, LZ1US and Gergana, LZ1ZYL. Read more about it on page 16 of the July Radio ZS. HAM RADIO 2020 will take place from 26 to 28 June 2020.
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS
The SARL has received membership applications from Gerrit Dalhuysen, ZR1GDL; Glen Cummings, ZS2GV; Hardus van Bosch, ZS6VB; Neil Viljoen, ZSL-1204 and the Brakpan Radio Club, ZS6BRK. Any objections to these membership applications must reach the League Secretary before the Wednesday following this bulletin. Please send your objections to secretary@sarl.org.za
Finally, a Diary of some upcoming events:
1 July – the start of the SARL Financial Year and membership payments due; and the closing date for SARL Top Band QSO Party Logs
06 July – the SARL Newbie QSO Party
07 July – the ZS5 Sprint
13 July – the Radar Challenge; and the registration for the October RAE opens.
13 and 14 July – the IARU HF Championships with ZS9HQ
14 July – the RSGB Cricket World Cup marathon ends; your last chance to work ZS19CWC
17 July – the SARL Wednesday 80 m Club Sprint
20 July – the SARL/AMSAT SA VHF Workshop at the NARC; and the Winter QRP Contest
21 July – the ZS2 Sprint
To conclude our bulletin a quick overview of our main news item:
The SARL Newbie QSO Party will be run from 08:00 to 20:00 UTC on Saturday 6 July 2019 with phone activity on 20, 40 and 80 metres. If you wrote the RAE in May, then this contest is for you. The ZS5 Sprint is a CW and phone contest on 40 metres and takes place from 14:00 to 15:00 UTC on Sunday 7 July 2019 and a chance to work those QSOs for the Worked All ZS Award.
This concludes our bulletin for this morning.
Clubs and individuals are invited to submit news items of interest to radio amateurs and shortwave listeners in both English and Afrikaans, if possible, 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 program, 'Amateur Radio Today' at 10:00 Central African Time. The program can be heard on VHF and UHF repeaters countrywide and on 7,082 kHz lower side-band. A rebroadcast can be heard on Monday evenings at 19:30 Central African Time on 3 620 kHz courtesy of Andy, ZS6ADY. We welcome your signal reports, comments and suggestions; please send these by e-mail to artoday@sarl.org.za.
You have listened to a news bulletin compiled by Dennis Green, ZS4BS, edited by Dave Reece, ZS1DFR and read by ..............
From the news team, best wishes for the week ahead.
/EX
