SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE

SARL NEWS SUNDAY 23 SEPTEMBER 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.

Your news reader this morning is Hans, ZS6KR, on 145,725 and 7,066 MHz
from Pretoria with relays on 3,695, 10,135, and 51,400 MHz as well as
438,825 and 1 297 MHz in the Pretoria area. (Other newsreaders please
change to suit).

SILENT KEYS

It is with deep regret that we have to announce the passing of two
radio amateurs recently.

George Cooke, ZS1JD, on 5 September due to heart failure in the age of
81 years. Our deepest sympathy is extended to his life partner Aileen
and family and his many friends.

Jock Perrett, ZS1ZI, went silent key on Thursday 13th September 2007.
Also to his relatives and friends, our deepest sympathy.

(PAUSE)

In the news today:

TAKE YOUR HAND-HELD TO WORK

REVISION OF THE SARL STUDY GUIDE

DISCUSSION ON BACAR INCLUDED IN SA AMSAT SPACE SYMPOSIUM

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

TAKE YOUR HAND-HELD TO WORK ON OCTOBER 5

Friday 5 October 2007 is the SARL National Take Your Hand-held to Work
Day. The objective of the event is to create public awareness for
amateur radio and the technology that it embraces.

Many repeaters will be linked through IRLP, the Internet Radio Linking
Project, to create activity across the country. At this stage the
following areas will be included: Pretoria, Johannesburg, Sandton,
Kempton Park, Middelburg Mpumalanga; Nelspruit/White River, Durban,
Harrismith and Cape Town.

IRLP is a reliably and inexpensively linking amateur radio system
without the use of RF links, leased lines, or satellites. The IRLP uses
Voice-Over-IP (VoIP) custom software and hardware. Coupled with the
power of the Internet, IRLP links repeater sites or simplex stations to
the world in a simple and cost effective way. IRLP operates a worldwide
network of dedicated servers and nodes, offering very stable worldwide
voice communications between hundreds of towns and cities.

If you are not at work on 5 October or are retired, come on the air and
share your experiences with other radio amateurs talking from work.

RTA PRESENTATIONS NOW AVAILABLE ON THE WEB

The first of the presentations made at the SARL Radio Technology in
Action days are now available on the web. The presentations are in PDF
format and can be downloaded for printing or viewing on screen. Visit
the RTA section of the web regularly as presentations will be added
over the next two weeks. The URL is www.sarl.org.za, click on activity
and then on RTA.

REVISION OF THE SARL STUDY GUIDE

The SARL is in the process of making some corrections to the SARL Radio
Examination Study Guide. The objective of the edit process is to update
details about the license conditions, spelling corrections and the
inclusion of a section on digital communications.

Lecturers are invited to send in their comments and any changes they
would like to be considered in the revised edition to be made available
on the SARL web by the end of this year. Before making your input,
please acquaint yourself with the HAREC syllabus available on the web.

Please send comments to Colin de Villiers with Study Guide in the
subject line. Your input will be acknowledged and forwarded to the
editing team. Colin's email address is . The closing
date for comments is 30 September 2007.

DISCUSSION ON BACAR INCLUDED IN SA AMSAT SPACE SYMPOSIUM

A discussion on the re-introduction of the BACAR project will feature
on the SA AMSAT Space Symposium Agenda. The symposium will be held on
Saturday 6 October at the SARL National Amateur Radio Centre. BACAR is
the acronym for Balloon Carrying Amateur Radio, a project that resulted
in great fun and excitement some years back. A BACAR project is planned
for early next year.

There are many other presentations and discussions of interest. Book
now by completing the registration form available on
www.amsatsa.org.za. The registration fee includes refreshments and
lunch.

SARL/HMO BEACON PROJECT TO THE DISCUSSED AT NEXT INTECNET

The next Intecnet will be held on Sunday 7 October starting at 20:00
CAT. Dr Lee-Anne McKinnell, ZS2LAW, and John Willescroft, ZS6EF, will
discuss the ins and outs of the SARL/HMO beacon project to be going
live soon. They will focus on the design of the beacons and some of the
research aspects. Learn how you can contribute to propagation research.
A PowerPoint presentation will be used during the Intecnet. The
presentation will be available on the SARL Web later this week.

CONTEST NEWS

SARL 40 metre Mobile Competition.

The results of this competition that took place on 12 August are as
follows:

1st Gerhard, ZS3TG - 438 points; 2nd Deon, ZS1AFU - 197 points; 3rd
Koos, ZS1KWV - 181 points; 4th Paul, ZS6PR - 141 points; 5th Jan,
ZS4JAN - 111 points.

A check log was received from Eddie, ZS6BNE.

SARL HF CW Contest.

The committee received seven logs for this contest. The results are as
follows:

1st Allan, ZS1AAX and Vidi, ZS1EL with 64 points each; 2nd Hans, ZS6KR
and Ed, ZS6UT with 60 points each; 3rd Jan, ZS4JAN with 58 points; 4th
Gary, ZS5NK with 50 points; 5th West Rand ARC with 36 points.

In the Club competition for CW, Pretoria ARC takes first place with 120
points, followed by the Cape Town ARS and Overberg ARC with 64 points
each, Bloemfontein RAC with 58 points, Highway ARC with 50 points and
the West Rand ARC with 36 points.

The complete set of results have been published in HF Happenings 268.

SARL VHF/UHF Contest. Please make a note of the correct address for
your log submission. By e-mail send it to and for
snail mail use PO Box 4452, White River, 1240. DO NOT USE the address
in the 2007 Contest Manual.

SARL CONTEST MANUAL

The SARL Contest Manual must be reviewed for use during 2008. The
contest manager is awaiting comments and suggestions from members and
clubs on the various contests as well as suggestions for any new
contests to be included. This is for SARL as well as Club contests.
Maybe some provincial QSO Parties, and more VHF sprints.

Send your suggestions and comments to by 20
October 2007.

SAATI AGM

The Annual General Meeting of SAATI will take place on Saturday 6
October at 14:00 CAT in the club house of the Centurion Amateur Radio
Club at the corner of Duncan and Prospect Streets, Pretoria. All are
welcome and the meeting will be followed by a bring-and-braai for which
SAATI will provide the consumeable RF.

PROPAGATION CONDITIONS

Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, being away for two weeks, the following was
submitted by Hans, ZS6AKV.

The current geomagnetic conditions are unsettled. A coronal hole on the
solar disk is rotating into a geo-effective position which means that
HF conditions can be disturbed.

Current predictions show an interesting tendency with late afternoon
and early evening openings to Europe on 10, 15 and 20 metres. Australia
seems to come into focus around 06:00 CAT when openings on 20 metres
look promising. Around 20:00 openings can be expected on 40 metres but
as that is in the middle of the night in most of Australia one will
only find the most dedicated Dxer around.

From around 14:00 the 20 metre band is likely to open towards India.
The USA West Coast may provide some interesting DX opportunities from
around 14:00 on 20 m and an hour or two later on 15 metres.

Amateur Radio Mirror International received some interesting shortwave
listener reports on the 10:00 transmission on 17 590 kHz with good
signals into Israel and Italy. Mind you the transmitter used runs 250
kW, but with the antenna favouring Africa.

The HF bands are at variable at the best of times. When you get an
opportunity, call CQ DX, you may never know, the person on the other
side of the world may just be listening. If we all just listen, we will
never know if the bands are opening. For more predictions visit
www.spacewaether.co.za.

DIARY OF EVENTS

23 September, today till 12:00 - Last opportunity to still score or
give points away in the VHF/UHF contest; 29 September - Ladies Only ZU
RAE course by Kempton Park RATS; 29 September - Pretoria ARC Flea
Market and AGM; 30 September - Last day for comments on SARL study
guide; 4 - 10 October - Special space programme; 5 October - Take your
handheld to work day; 6 October - SA AMSAT Space Conference; 6 October
East Rand Flea market and AGM; 6 October - SAATI AGM; 7 October -
Intechnet; 18 October - Class A RAE; 20 October - Comments on SARL 2008
Competition Handbook to be in.

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 sponsors the ARMI
transmissions on the non-amateur frequencies.

Today's South African Radio League news bulletin was compiled by
George, ZS6NE, and transmitted by (your name and call sign).

Thank you for listening. 73.

/EX

======================= Message Ends ======================= To edit or
remove your entry from this mailing list go to
www.sarl.org.za/members/admin/maildat.asp