SARL News - SUNDAY 07 MARCH 2010

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 every Sunday at 08:15 CAT in Afrikaans and
at 08:30 CAT in English. To listen to a webstream, visit
www.sarl.org.za, click on ARMI and follow the links for details. PLEASE
NOTE: for audio via Echolink, connect to ZS0JPL-R.

You can download this bulletin and previous ones from www.sarl.org.za
and subscribe to receive future bulletins by email.

Your newsreader this morning is (name), (call sign), on 145,725 and
7,066 MHz from Pretoria, with relays on 10,130, 7,066 and 3,695 MHz
SSB.

In the news today:

NOMINATIONS FOR RADIO AMATEUR OF THE YEAR AWARDS INVITED

SARL's WORKED ALL ZS AWARDS PROGRAMME

NARC PIC COURSE DATE CHANGE

HOW SEVERE CAN THE EFFECT OF RFI BE?

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

NOMINATIONS FOR RADIO AMATEUR OF THE YEAR AWARDS INVITED

The South African Amateur Radio Development Trust is inviting
nominations for the Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN)Radio Amateur of the
Year and Community Service Awards. The three award categories a

GARTH MILNE TECHNICAL INNOVATION AWARD

The award is made for the support, development and application of
Technological Innovation in Amateur Radio in South Africa. The
recipient will be a person who has promoted the use of technology in
amateur radio at club level, nationally, at schools or tertiary
education institutions.

NSN RADIO AMATEUR OF THE YEAR AWARD

The award is made for the support and development of the Amateur Radio
Service in South Africa, not for individual achievements such as DXCC
and other operational awards or contests. The recipient will be a
person who has given of his or her expertise and time to the promotion
of Amateur Radio in South Africa.

NSN AMATEUR RADIO COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD

Annually the South African Amateur Radio Development Trust is
recognising a radio amateur or a group of radio amateurs for service to
the community. Community service can be assistance to a handicapped
radio amateur, communications support during a sporting event or a
disaster situation like a road accident or a natural disaster like a
flood, veld fires, or an earthquake. Nominations are invited for an
individual or a group of people like a radio club, or an association.

Full details and nomination forms are available from
www.amateurradio.org.za.

SARL's WORKED ALL ZS AWARDS PROGRAMME

Four trophies have recently been awarded to the top achievers in the
SARL's Worked All ZS awards programme.

WAZS requires contacts with 100 South African stations. Since 1959,
over 300 certificates have been issued to all continents except Asia.
Endorsements are provided for single bands or modes and for multiples
of 100 call signs.

In 2001, Pretoria Contest Club, ZS6Z, undertook to donate trophies to
the first three applicants to reach 500 confirmed call signs. It took
almost nine years for the third applicant to make the grade.

The biggest factor in the sudden rise of the popularity of WAZS has
been the introduction of SA-QSL, the Web-based electronic QSL system
that Richard Seddon, ZS2CLI, built on the SARL Web site. This system
has greatly increased both participation and the number of call signs
that can be achieved.

In past four years, over 150 WAZS certificates have been issued. This
number is more than the number of certificates issued between 1970 and
2006!

The first WAZS-500 was won by Chris R. Burger, ZS6EZ, in 2002.

At the time, the closest contender was Harald Pfeffer, OE6HPD, with
more than 400. Unfortunately, Harald has to date not achieved the 500
level.

Jan Botha, ZS4JAN, applied in 2007, with the third applicant being
Gerhard Coetzee, ZS3TG, in May 2009.

Jan Botha has continued increasing his score, and passed the 1 000
level in November 2009. Jan has a score of at least double those of any
of his peers.

The WAZS-500 trophies are handsome plaques, with an enamel design
mounted onto a dark wooden base. The WAZS-1 000 is similar, but much
larger. Its size and design are intended to reflect the magnitude of
the achievement.

The plaques have been sponsored by Superb Flight Training, a
Pretoria-based flight training school. Their Web site is at
pilots.co.za.

NARC PIC COURSE DATE CHANGE

Due to various logistical reasons the Learn PIC programming in 4 hour
course for Gauteng has been changed to 27 March 2010. The SARL has also
entered into an arrangement with Microchip to make the course available
to a wider audience. Within hours of the Microchip mail having been
sent out, bookings and enquiries started coming in. If you are planning
to attend the course, do not delay making a booking. Details on
www.sarl.org.za, click on RTA. Only a limited number are accepted for
each course.

HOW SEVERE CAN THE EFFECT OF RFI BE?

From Newsline comes the story of a New Mexico resident who alleges he
suffers from electromagnetic allergies who has filed a court action
against his neighbour because she refuses to turn off her home
electronic equipment. According to the news story, Arthur Firstenberg
of Santa Fe, has been sleeping at friends' homes or in his car to avoid
what he claims are the electromagnetic waves created by his neighbour's
cell phone, wireless network, computer, compact fluorescent light bulbs
and lamp dimmer switches.

Firstenberg claims that the low-level electromagnetic radiation emitted
by cell phones and other modern gadgets makes him, and others sensitive
to radio waves, suffer terribly. He believes that the side-effects of
exposure, include nausea, vertigo, ringing in the ears, severe
headaches and body aches. He also credits crippling joint pains,
insomnia, impaired vision, impaired muscular control and other ailments
to electromagnetic sources.

The suit claims that when Raphaela Monribot moved in next door, she
refused to keep her phone, computer and wireless network turned off
when not in use. When asked if she could use a landline instead of her
iPhone, Firstenberg claims the neighbour flatly refused.

The Firstenberg suit demands that a judge stop his neighbour from using
her iPhone, her wireless internet and her laptop charger, saying the
radiation has forced him from his home. He also wants $530 000 in
damages, including $100 000 for pain and suffering.

You may well ask "what next!"

LICENCE RENEWALS

If you have paid your amateur radio license using the license number
you may still receive an invoice from ICASA. Amateur Radio license
renewals were printed in the first week of January but due to a hick up
with the mailing company the invoices were not mailed until recently.
Mailing of accounts has started but it may still be a week or two
before you receive yours. If you have paid in the interim this will not
be reflected on the invoice you receive.

If you have paid ignore the invoice. Please do not phone ICASA.

ICASA has also issued a statement to the SARL that no action will be
taken for non payment until 30 days after all the invoices have been
mailed.

REGISTER NOW FOR THE 2010 SA AMSAT SPACE SYMPOSIUM

Registration for the 2010 SA AMSAT Space Symposium is now open. The
symposium will be held at the University of KwaZulu-Natal on 17 April
2010. There is a substantial discount for early bird bookings. Visit
www.amsat.org.za for details and the registration form.

Bona fide students and learners are invited to apply for free
registration made possible through a grant from the Department of
Science and Technology through the FRD (Foundation for Research and
Development) and UKZN.

PROPAGATION REPORT

Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the solar activity is still at low
levels. Currently sunspots 1 051, 1 052 and 1 053 are doing their bit
for solar activity although they are fairly small sunspots. The
effective sunspot number is expected to be less than 20 for the coming
week.

20 and 15 m will provide the best opportunities for DX. Conditions to
India will be good from the afternoons onwards. During the late
afternoons and early evenings it will be fair towards Europe. In the
afternoons there are good possibilities of contacts with the USA on 15
m. Contacts with Australia and New Zealand will be challenging. During
the afternoons and evenings good 20 and 15 m contacts may also be
possible with Brazil.

It seems that 6 m is also starting to show signs of life with reports
of the Kenian beacon and other DX signals heard.

Local conditions are going to be good on 40 m during the day time. 80 m
may perform well during the early mornings and late afternoons over the
shorter distances. 30 m will perform well during the middle of the day.
20 m is very useful for contacts over the longer distances during the
majority of the day.

80 m is the frequency of choice in the evenings.

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

DIARY OF EVENTS

7 March - SARL HAMNET 40 Metre Simulated Emergency Contest from 12:00
to 14:00 UTC. 13/14 March - RSGB Commonwealth CW only Contest. 19/21
March - SARL VHF/UHF Digital Contest. 20/21 March - SARL VHF/UHF
Analogue Contest. 27 March - Pretoria Amateur Radio Club Flea market at
08:00. 27 March - PIC programming in 4 hours course at the NARC. 31
March - SARL 80 m Club Contest with PSK and RTTY. 31 March - Closing
date for stage 1 of the Construction Competition. 17 April - 2010 SA
AMSAT Space Symposium. 23-25 April - SARL National Convention, Port
Elizabeth. 7 May - Closing dat for stage 2 of the Construction
Competition.

SARL News invites clubs and individuals to submit news items of
interest to radio amateurs and shortwave listeners. Submit news items,
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 Amateur Radio Mirror
International every Sunday morning at 10:00 CAT on 145,750 MHz in the
Pretoria-area, with relays on 7 082, 7 205 and 17 860 kHz. There is
also a podcast by ZS6RO. For a webstream and Echolink by ZS6FCS, visit
www.sarl.org.za, click on 'ARMI' and follow the links. A repeat
transmission can be heard on Mondays at 21:00 CAT on 3 215 kHz. Sentech
sponsors the ARMI transmissions on the non-amateur frequencies.

You have listened to a bulletin of the South African Radio League
compiled and edited by George, ZS6NE.

Thank you for listening, 73.
/EX