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Old May 12th 07, 03:58 PM posted to rec.radio.amateur.moderated,rec.radio.info
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Default SARL News in English 12/5/2007

SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE

SARL NEWS SUNDAY 13 MAY 2007

You are listening to Amateur Radio Station ZS6SRL of the South African
Radio League, the National Body for Amateur Radio in South Africa, with
a news bulletin that is broadcast every Sunday at 08:15 CAT in
Afrikaans and at 08:30 CAT in English. This broadcast can also be heard
on Echolink by connecting to ZS6FCS. To listen to a web stream go to
www.sarl.org.za, click on ARMI and follow the links. This, and previous
bulletins, can be downloaded from the web site of the SARL i.e.
www.sarl.org.za. You can also read or download previous bulletins from
there and subscribe to receive future bulletins by email.

This transmission is by Hans, ZS6KR, on 145,725 and 7,066 MHz from
Pretoria with relays on 3,695, 10,135, 14,235 and 51,400 MHz as well as
438,825 MHz in the Pretoria area. (Other news readers please change to
suit).

In the news today:

SUMBANDILASAT ON ITS WAY TO RUSSIA

RADIO TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION EVENT IN PORT ELIZABETH WILL BREAK NEW
GROUND

You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more detail on these and
other important and interesting news items.

SUMBANDILASAT ON ITS WAY TO RUSSIA - AMATEUR RADIO BEACON SOUNDS GOOD

SumbandilaSat was given an official sent off on Friday from Sunspace in
Stellenbosch enroute to Russia where it will be taken to the Russian
Naval base at Murmansk for integration with the launch vehicle. From
there it will be loaded on the submarine off the coast of Russia for
launch into a 500 km polar orbit. The launch campaign is between 18 and
25 June, much dependent on weather conditions. Once in orbit
SumbandilaSat will pass over South Africa mid morning and mid evening.

"The amateur radio beacon and parrot repeater are operating well",
Hendrik Burger, project engineer at SunSpace told SA AMSAT. " It was
good to hear the satellite responding to "hello SumbandilaSat " by
repeating the greeting loud and clear. It gave us a warm feeling when
the beacon transmitted the message recorded by Anton Coetzee, a learner
at the Kimberley Technical High School who won the competition for the
launch beacon message.

111 CANDIDATES TO SIT THE RAE ON THURSDAY

On Thursday May 17, 111 candidates will sit the Radio Amateur
Examination at 17 examination centres around South Africa The
examination is set and administered by the South African Radio League,
the national body for amateur radio in South Africa. 32 Candidates will
write the entry level examination for a ZU license while 79 will tackle
the class A examination. The single largest number of entry level
license candidates comes from the John Vorster Technical High school in
Pretoria where the Magalies Radio-Amateurklub recently launched a radio
club.

The South African Radio league wishes all candidates success in the
examination and looks forward to hearing them on the air soon.

Examination numbers were mailed to candidates and are also available on
the SARL web at www.sarl.org.za. Candidates are reminded that each
candidate must complete a license application form which was mailed
with the examination details.

RADIO TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION EVENT IN PORT ELIZABETH WILL BREAK NEW
GROUND

The SARL radio technology in action programme to be held in Port
Elizabeth next Saturday, 19 June, will break new ground with a
presentation and demonstration by Chris Scarr, ZS2AAW, of the proposed
PEARS WiFi network. The initiative will provide far reaching benefits
to the Port Elizabeth amateur radio community and is expected to draw
the attention of IT professionals which may well be encouraged to join
the amateur radio fraternity.

All the presentations are touching on cutting edge technologies and
activities and should not be missed. The SARL has issued an open
invitation to all persons interested in communication technologies to
attend the RTA, which will be held at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan
University. Entrance fee is R20, which includes entry into the
attendance draw. Learners and students attend free. The full programme
is available on www.sarl.org.za, scroll down to RTA at the bottom left
hand side of the home page.

SPACE GURU MARK SHUTTLEWORTH WILL ANSWER QUESTIONS FROM LEARNERS ON
YOUTH DAY

Help local youth to ask questions from space guru, Mark Shuttleworth,
when he joins an Intecnet type setup on 16 June 2007 from 10:00 - 11:30
by setting up an amateur radio station at a school, scout hall or a
shopping mall.

Clubs are asked to book a link to the conference facility this week so
that the necessary arrangements can be made. Various other competitions
are being worked on and details will be announced in the near future.
The basis of the competitions is for participating amateur radio
stations that have young people operating under the supervision of
licensed amateurs to make as many QSO's as possible, before and after
the Mark Shuttleworth link up.

To book the link send a mail to giving details of the
telephone number and repeater information. Send also details of the
public event you are staging so that it can be included in the
publicity campaign kicking off on 21 May.

CALLING ALL CLUB CHAIRMEN

Recently the Itchen Valley Radio Club has made three bursaries
available for students under the age of 25 to become radio amateurs.
The bursaries are each valued at R650 and will assist students to enter
the October 2007 Class A Radio Amateur Examination. The bursaries are
known as the Itchen Valley Radio Club YARP 2007 Bursaries and cover the
examination enrolment fee and one year's junior membership of the SARL
upon passing the examination and R150 towards tuition costs levied by
local clubs teaching the RAE.

Club Chairmen are encouraged to identify young students and to assist
them in completing the application form available on
www.amateurradio.org.za.

NATIONAL SCIENCE WEEK

As part of the Department of Science and Technology's National Science
Week the Hermanus Magnetic Observatory (HMO) will in conjunction with
the Overberg Amateur Radio Club (ZS1OAR) be be hosting two open days at
the observatory to highlight amateur radio to the public in general and
the youth in particular. You are invited to tune up on Saturday 19 May
in the morning and participate with calls to the local club and
answering any CQ's originating in Hermanus. Special commemorative QSL
cards will be sent to all stations logged.

ZS1HELL FEEDBACK

The 12 members of the team that manned the special events station,
ZS1HELL, during the weekend of 28 April to 1 May, in "Die Hell" in
Gamakaskloof, would like to thank all amateurs who made contact with
them. In their attempt to obtain the WAZS-certificate, the team made
343 contacts with South African stations during the 60 hour period.

Within 48 hours after the complete logsheet had been loaded onto the
e-QSL web page of the SARL, all the necessary contacts for Divisions
1,2,3 and 4 had confirmed. There are, unfortunately, still quite a
number of stations in Divisions 5 and 6 who have not yet confirmed
their QSL's. The team is making an appeal to all amateurs who contacted
ZS1HELL to confirm their contact either via e-QSL via the SARL web page
or per ordinary post. The postal address is P O Box 273, STRAND, 7140.

INTERNATIONAL MUSEUMS DAY 18th MAY 2007

The Zululand Amateur Radio Club will be operating as ZS5ZLB from the
Fort Nongqayi Museum Village, Eshowe on Friday, 18th May 2007 from
08:00 to 15:00 - mainly on 40 metres.

This unique event will be covering a programme in recognition of our
universal heritage of the various cultural groups involved in the
history of our region. Only one Museum in Kwazulu-Natal is selected
each year to host a function of this nature. QSL cards will be sent to
all amateurs who work our station.

SUMMITS ON THE AIR (SOTA)

Do you want to participate in the SOTA program but can't mount a
mountain? You can be part of the fun by contacting Sid, ZS5AYC, Tom,
ZS6TMO, Detlev, ZS6BAB or Lucas, ZS6ACT on Saturday 19 May on 145,500
MHz, 14,165 MHz and 7,065 MHz. Weather permitting, these guys intend to
activate Mount-Aux-Sources, SOTA reference ZS/KN-009. They will be
active from ±11:30 CAT (09:30 UTC). Please give them a contact and also
earn a few points for yourself.

SOTA is an international program that encourages amateur radio
operation from the summits of hills and mountains. Activators are
people who transmit from the summits and chasers are those who contact
the activators from the comfort of their shack. SWL's can also
participate by logging the QSO's between activators and chasers. For
each of the 3 groups there are guidelines and awards. There are more
than 300 qualifying summits in the RSA. This information can be found
at www.sota.org.uk and the RSA specific information at
www.qsl.net/sotasa or contact Lucas at (+27) 084 509 1477.

PROPAGATION REPORT

Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the expected solar activity will
continue at very low levels. The geomagnetic field is expected to range
from unsettled to active levels on 21 till 23 May. The expected
Effective Sun Spot number for the coming week will be less than 5.

20 m and 15 m will provide best opportunities for DX. There is a
possibility of 15 and 20 m openings towards India from about 06:00 and
again at 12:00 CAT. 40 m may open towards Australia from 22:00.

From about 14:00, there may be good 15 and 20 m openings towards

Europe. Contacts to the USA are going to be very challenging. For the
CW and digital enthusiasts it may also be worth monitoring 10 MHz.

Although the DX predictions may not be too enthusiastic, HF always has
the capability to surprise you. You will never know what you are
missing unless you switch your rig on, listen and also call CQ.

Local conditions are going to be excellent and now is the chance to
work towards the Worked All ZS award.

Please visit www.spaceweather.co.za for further information.

DIARY OF EVENTS

15 May - Closing date for applications for Itchen Valley bursaries; 18
May - Museum Day with ZS5ZLB on the air; 19 May - Summits on the Air;
19 May - Hermanus Magnetic Observatory open day; 19 May - ERC Fox hunt;
16 June - SARL Youth day; 30 June - Closing date for updating of SA DX
Survey.

SARL News depends on clubs and individuals for news items of importance
and interest to radio amateurs. The one and only way to ensure that
your contribution will reach the SARL News team, is to place it in
www.sarl.org.za/newsinbox.asp not later than the Thursday preceding the
bulletin date. It will be appreciated if you will do it in both
Afrikaans and English.

The SARL also invites all listeners to listen to the program Amateur
Radio Mirror International this Sunday morning at 10:00 CAT on 145,750
MHz in the Pretoria area with relays on 7 082, 7 205 and 17 695 kHz.
Audio is also streamed on www.zs6mrk.org and on Echolink from ZS6FCS as
for this bulletin. A repeat transmission takes place on Mondays at
21:00 on 3 215 kHz. Telkom and Sentech sponsor the ARMI transmissions
on the non-amateur frequencies.

You have been listening to a news bulletin by the South African Radio
League, which was compiled by Gustav, ZS6BWN.

A prosperous week to all, 73.

/EX

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