SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE

SARL NEWS SUNDAY 29 JULY 2007

You are listening to ZS6SRL the official Radio Station of the South
African Radio League, the National Body for Amateur Radio in South
Africa, with a news bulletin that is transmitted every Sunday at 08:15
CAT in Afrikaans and at 08:30 CAT in English. To listen to a web stream
or Echolink by ZS6FCS visit www.sarl.org.za, click on ARMI and follow
the links for details.

This, and previous bulletins, can be downloaded from the
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 and 1 297 MHz in the Pretoria area. (Other newsreaders please
change to suit).

SILENT KEY

It is with deep regret that we announce the passing of Julian Biermann,
ZS6BJO, on 9 July 2007. We extend our sincere condolences to his wife
Laurette, family and friends.

(PAUSE)

In the news today:

SOUTH AFRICA TO BE REPRESENTED AT GAREC 2007

REGISTER FOR THE CLASS B EXAMINATION NOW - 2 DAYS LEFT

PRESIDENT'S NET AND INTECNET TONIGHT

RADIO TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION PROGRAMME FOR GAUTENG NOW ON THE WEB

100th ANNIVERSARY OF THE SCOUT MOVEMENT

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

SOUTH AFRICA TO BE REPRESENTED AT GAREC 2007

The SARL will be represented at the 2007 Global Amateur Radio Emergency
Communications (GAREC) Conference, which will be held in Huntsville,
Alabama, on Thursday, 16th and Friday, 17th August 2007. GAREC-07 is
focussing on the application of advanced technologies in emergency
communications.

GAREC started as an initiative of IARU Region 1. In 2005, Seppo
Sisatto, OH1VR, now IARU Region 1 Emergency Communications Coordinator,
organized the first meeting in Tampere, Finland - the "Capital of
Emergency Telecommunications." It was here that in 1998 the United
Nations and the International Telecommunication Union convened an
intergovernmental conference, ICET-98, which adopted the "Tampere
Convention." This international treaty facilitates the use of
telecommunications in humanitarian assistance, and made "Tampere" known
throughout the telecommunications community. Conferences on the same
subject were held in the following years. In 2006 GAREC met in Tampere
for the second time, now in connection with the International
Conference on Emergency Communications, ICEC-2006 and the UN Working
Group on Emergency Telecommunications.

The agenda of GAREC-07 will focus mainly on the topics discussed in
Tampere. Most of all, GAREC wants to be a forum for the exchange of
information. Many IARU member-societies and specialized emergency
communications groups have developed and implemented emergency
concepts. Many others want to benefit from their technical, operational
and, not the least, their administrative or even "political"
experiences when establishing the necessary cooperation with partners
in emergency and disaster response. South Africa, and more specific the
SARL in its own right, has been able to share information and has added
value to the conferences in the past. GAREC also developed new
concepts, such as the "Centre of Activity Frequencies," meanwhile
adopted by IARU Region 1 and 3 conferences.

The review of advanced, digital technologies and their applications to
emergency telecommunications will be an additional element for
GAREC-07. The two-day conference will be packed with practical
information, and experts will arrange demonstrations of the
capabilities of 21st century ham radio!

With the support of the Department of Transport, the SARL will be
represented by HAMNET's National Director Francois Botha, ZS6BUU.
Charles Norval of SASAR, in his letter supporting the SARL's
participation, said that the SARL's attendance will be of benefit to
both the South African Search and Rescue (SASAR) and the Air Traffic
and Navigation System.

REGISTER FOR THE CLASS B EXAMINATION NOW - 2 DAYS LEFT

The next class B examination will be held on 23 August. The closing
date for registration has been extended to 31 July, which is in just a
few days time. No late entries can be accepted.

Registration for the examination is R300. The cost for students and
learners under the age of 25 years is only R200. To register, download
all the forms from the SARL web and after completion fax the forms to
088 011 675 2793. You can also request the forms by sending a mail to
. Carefully follow the checklist printed on page 2 of
the RAE registration form. Links to the form can be found on the home
page article.

PRESIDENT'S NET AND INTECNET TONIGHT

The President's Net will be on the air tonight. Join Graham Hartlett,
ZS6GJH, at 19:00 for an update on he SARL and the various activities
planned for the next few months. Graham will also talk about the SARL's
plans to promote ARDF - Amateur Radio Direction Funding, an activity
that is current attracting a lot of attention from the youth in Europe
and the USA.

The President's Net will be followed at 20:00 CAT by the Intecnet with
Dr Pieter Kotzé as the guest speaker. His presentation is entitled:
'Implications of Living on a Giant Magnet'. The presentation slides can
be downloaded in PDF format. Visit the SARL web at www.sarl.org.za and
click on ARMI.

Clubs wishing to link their repeaters should send an email to
before 12:00 today. Both nets will be streamed on
Echolink by ZS6FCS and on the web. Go to www.sarl.org.za and click on
ARMI and follow the links.

RADIO TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION PROGRAMME FOR GAUTENG NOW ON THE WEB

The programme for the Radio Technology in Action day in Gauteng on 18
August is now available on the web. The programme features a variety of
interesting presentations and demonstrations. Learn how the Eastern
Cape radio amateurs built the world's largest repeater linked network,
or watch the FT5XO Kerguelen island DXpedition video, join SARL
Councillor for Technology Andrew Roos, ZS6AA, as he discusses the SARL
transceiver project or build a 40 m receiver with Hannes Coetzee,
ZS6BPZ.

It is a day no one interested in amateur radio and technology would
want to miss. Diarise the date 18 August at the National Amateur Radio
Centre. Entrance is R20. Students and learners attend free.

100th ANNIVERSARY OF THE SCOUT MOVEMENT.

A Sunrise Ceremony in Mafikeng by ZS100MAF on Wednesday, 1 August 2007,
will mark "The Dawn of a new Century for Scouting around the World".

On 1st August 1907, Scouting's Founder Robert Baden-Powell held what is
now known as the World's first Scout camp on Brownsea Island near
Portsmouth, England. This date thus marks the beginning of the Scout
Movement.

Baden-Powell had strong ties with Mafikeng where he formulated many of
his ideas. Thus Evan Davies, ZS6EVD, Eddie Leighton and the Lichtenburg
ARC will be running a special event station ZS100MAF at SCENE the scout
camping grounds of the town. Please support this station as Evan, Eddie
and LARC have done a tremendous amount of work for this event.

The main idea is to have scout greetings following the rising sun, from
East to West.

Another aim is to link up with the scouts at GB100BI on Brownsea Island
and GB100J at the 21st World Scout Jamboree at Chelmsford just outside
London. These two stations will be in operation from 27-07-2007 to
08-08-2007. As Gilwell Park is an activity centre its permanent station
GB2GP will be operational for the same time.

With modern technology Scouts will be able to join in the Brownsea
celebrations and those of the 40 000 Scouts at the nearby World Scout
Jamboree using other digital modes.

Please note that other countries will also be represented on 1st
August, BP100S - Tapei, 8J100S -Tokyo, EI100J - Dublin and SX100VAR -
Athens, etc.

When you call these stations try the World Scout Frequencies:

20 m - 14,290 MHz; 17 m - 18,140 MHz; 15 m - 21,360 MHz; 12 m - 24,960
MHz; 10 m - 28,390 MHz; 6 m - 50,160 MHz.

RAE COURSE IN THE WESTERN CAPE

Prospective students for the October Class A RAE who wish to attend a
course in the Western Cape can contact Karl, ZS1KC, by phone on 021 976
5237 or cellphone 083 955 7177. The course is planned to start on 7
August. The classes wil be presented once a week at the Oakdale Sport
Club.

CONTEST NEWS

The SARL HF Phone Contest will be on the air next Sunday 5 August 2007
starting at 15:00 and ending at 18:30 CAT with activity on certain
sections of the 20, 40 and 80 metre bands. Participation can be as a
single operator, multi-operator or SWL. Further sub-divisions are low
power, high power, all band, single band or my best hour. The exchange
is a RS report and a serial number.

Southern Africa is divided into 8 zones for this contest and
participants must try and work stations in each of these zones for
bonus points, further bonus points are obtained for working the same
station on all 3 bands.

The rules and log sheets are available in the 2007 SARL Contest Manual
at www.sarl.org.

On Sunday 12 August, the SARL 40 Metre Mobile Sprint will be on the
air.

Johan, ZS4SS, wins the SARL Digital Contest.

The contest committee received five contest logs and one check log for
the SARL Digital Contest run in June. The results are as follows:

Single operator, All band - Low power: Johan, ZS4SS - 280 points

Single Operator, Single band - High Power: Eddie, ZS6BNE - 228 points;
Jack, V51KC - 144 points; Jan, ZS4JAN - 90 points; Jacques, ZS1JY - 20
points.

Jan, ZS6BMN, submitted a check log.

Johan, ZS4SS, is clearly the winner of the annual Digital modes
competition and will be receiving the Yaesu VX-2R Handheld Transceiver
at a suitable occasion. Well done Johan!

PROPAGATION REPORT

Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, was not available to do the propagation report
this week. This report is by Hans, ZS6AKV.

Spaceweather.co.za reports that the solar wind speed has reached 500
km/s. Geomagnetic conditions are at unsettled to active levels. Local
HF working frequencies are unstable to depressed. The outlook is that a
coronal hole has rotated into a geo-effective position on the solar
disk, with another one due within the next week or so. Expect disturbed
HF conditions for most of the week.

20 metres seem to be the best DX band. In the early morning contacts
with Australia are possible and late afternoon to early evening there
is a glimmer of hope to make a QSO or two with stations situated on the
both the East and West coast of the USA. For Europe 20 metres is likely
to offer best results between mid morning and late afternoon.

Propagation prediction is not an exact science, so always call on a
band to check if it is open. If you and everyone else only listen, you
will never know.

Hannes will be back next week

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

DIARY OF EVENTS

28 July - President's Net and Intecnet - tonight; 1 August - Special
station ZS100MAF on the air; 5 August - SARL HF Phone Contes;t 12
August - SARL 40 Metre Mobile Sprint; 18 August - Radio Technology in
Action day in Gauteng; 23 August - Class B RAE; 6 October - SA AMSAT
Space Conference; 18 October - Class A RAE.

SARL News invites clubs and individuals to submit news stories of
interest to radio amateurs and shortwave listeners. Submit news stories
if possible in both English and Afrikaans to
www.sarl.org.za/newsinbox.asp not later than the Thursday preceding the
bulletin date.

The SARL also invites you to listen to the programme Amateur Radio
Mirror International, on the air every Sunday morning at 10:00 CAT on
145,750 MHz in the Pretoria area with relays on 7 082, 7 205 and 17 590
kHz. For the web stream and echolink by ZS6FCS visit www.sarl.org.za,
click on ARMI and follow the links. A repeat transmission can be heard
Mondays at 21:00 CAT on 3 215 kHz. Sentech sponsor the ARMI
transmissions on the non-amateur frequencies.

Today's South African Radio League news bulletin was compiled by Roger,
ZR3RC, and transmitted by (your name and call sign)

Thank you for listening. 73

/EX

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