SARL NEWS - SUNDAY 19 DECEMBER 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 web stream, visit
www.sarl.org.za, click on 'ARMI' and follow the links. PLEASE NOTE: for
audio via Echolink, connect to ZS0JPL-R.

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

Your newsreader this morning is (name), (call sign), on 145,725 and
7,066 MHz from Pretoria, with relays on 7,066 and 3,695 MHz SSB. (Other
news readers change as applicable).

SILENT KEY

It is with regret that it has to be announced that the key of Vernon
Short, ZS1KS, became silent on Sunday morning, 12 December. Vernon had
a long bout with Alzheimer's disease and other problems. Our sincere
sympathy with his wife Jessie, children, stepchildren, other relatives
and friends

(PAUSE)

In the news today:

MONITORING SPACE WEATHER NOW A SERIOUS BUSINESS

MORE ABOUT LICENCE FEES

100 mW SIGNAL ON 8,970 kHz HEARD OVER 2 873 km

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

MONITORING SPACE WEATHER NOW A SERIOUS BUSINESS

For Lee-Anne McKinnell, ZS2LAW, acting Managing Director of HMO, the
launch of the Space Weather Centre at the Hermanus Magnetic Observatory
is a four year dream come true. "It started with our application to be
internationally recognised as the space weather warning centre for
Africa. Although there are space weather scientists in other parts of
our continent we are the only space weather warning centre", she told
SARL News.

Delivering the opening address on 10 December 2010, the Minister of
Science and Technology said that the launch of the Space Weather Centre
speaks directly to South Africa's space science and technology 'grand
challenge'. "This Centre will contribute essential information for
global space science and technology, as well as forecasts and
predictions to protect our growing and future satellite industry. More
specifically, it will provide a service to the Earth observation,
communications, navigation, defense and engineering sectors."

The Space Weather Centre will contribute towards other grand
challenges, such as the Energy Security grand challenge, through its
potential to develop a skills base and stimulate interest and desire
among young people to take part in science and technology.

This project will position our country as a leader in Space Weather for
the African continent, allowing for the development of projects that
will create parallel initiatives between different African countries,
and provide us with a leading focus area for joint collaborations.

"There is already a possible Space Weather satellite collaboration
between India, Brazil and South Africa, which will proceed in the
context of the IBSA Space Weather satellite", the Minister said.

"We are working closely with African Space weather scientists who will
contribute data to us and in return we will provide space weather
information which will assist them with their research," Lee-Anne
McKinnell said. "The data that we will produce from their input and
what comes out of our centre will help us with global space weather
conditions. The other 12 regional warning centres come together to
present data covering their area and we are working to do that for
Africa".

MORE ABOUT LICENCE FEES

ICASA is aligning its licence period with its financial year which runs
from April to March. Radio Amateurs will receive an account for R6,75
which will cover January to March. During March an account for the
period 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 will be mailed. Please pay the
right amount on the account and wait for the account to arrive.
Repeater and beacon accounts will be treated like wise and the amount
charged will cover January - March 2011.

2011 CONTEST MANUAL NOW AVAILABLE ON THE WEB

The 2011 SARL contest manual is now available on the web. To download
the manual, which is in PDF format, go to the contest section of the
web or click on the link on SARL TODAY on the home page. The manual
previously known as the blue book has been completely revised and
upgraded and is a must have for anyone planning to participate in
contests. It is yet another free service for radio amateurs from the
SARL.

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY

100 mW SIGNAL ON 8,970 kHz HEARD OVER 2 873 km

The very low frequency transmissions by DK7FC on 8,970 kHz have been
received at a distance of 2 873 km by 4X1RF in Haifa, Israel. Reception
at these super low frequencies within the human audio hearing range
requires ground rod antennas, low noise preamps and sophisticated
decoding software. None the less, the fact that DK7FC's 100 milliwatt
of effective radiated power was copied and recorded by 4X1RF at this
great a distance indicates that transatlantic amateur VLF reception may
indeed be possible in the very near future.

According to DL6QA in a tutorial published by the DARC, the very low
frequency part of the radio frequency spectrum (VLF, 3 to 30 kHz) is
characterized by a low attenuation rate, high phase and frequency
stability, and high signal to noise ratio. Therefore, VLF radio
propagation is used for many practical applications, e.g. frequency
standardisation, clock synchronization, radio navigation beacons and
reliable long-distance radio communications.

VLF waves can also penetrate water to a depth of roughly more or less
10 m to 40 m, depending on the VLF frequency employed, on the salinity
of the water as well as on the temperature of the water. VLF is also
used for very long-distance radio communications with submerged
submarines near the surface.

Commercial VLF radio stations mainly apply very high power transmitters
ranging from 5 kW to 500 kW or more. Due to the excellent ground
propagation properties of VLF when transmitted vertically polarized and
the very long wave length, all transmitters operate with very high
antenna towers. Ground wave propagation is effected by the ground
conductivity and the dielectric constant of the terrain. At 10 kHz the
depth of penetration of VLF radio energy into the ground can be between
2,5 m to 150 m. The ground conductivity and the dielectric constant
depends on the surface over which the ground wave propagates ( e.g. sea
water - fresh water - dry, sandy flat coastal land - marshy, forested
flat land - mountainous hills up to 1 000 m - cities - etc.).

Because of the low bandwidth available in the VLF band from 10 kHz to
30 kHz it is not possible to transmit audio signals, therefore most
messaging is done with alphanumeric data at very low bit rates.

There is a large group in Europe studying VLF. Is anyone interested in
starting a group in South Africa? Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BPZ, recently put
out a call for amateurs to join him in experimenting on 137 kHz, a VLF
band soon to be available to South Africans. Drop a line with your
contact details to with VLF in the subject line.

HF PROPAGATION

Sorry but we have no update today, but we believe that there will be no
drastic change from the conditions prevailing at present. However, go
and have a look at www.spaceweather.co.za for the latest information.

DIARY OF EVENTS

31 December - Closing date for submission of logs for the PEARS HF QSO
Party to ; 31 December - Closing date for
submission of details for membership of the SA AMSAT satelliet team to
; 20 January 2011 - Closing date for submission
for application for the May 2011 RAE bursaries; visit
www.amateurradio.org.za for application forms; 20 January - Closing
date for submission of proposals and synopsis of papers for 2011 SA
AMSAT Space Symposium to ; 30 January 2011 -
Closing date for phase 1 of the construction competition.

SARL News invites clubs and individuals to submit terms 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.

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 17 560 kHz. There is
also a podcast by ZS6RO. For a web stream 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 22:05 CAT on 3 215 kHz. Sentech
sponsors the ARMI transmissions on the non-amateur frequencies.

Halt, don't switch off, here follows the last item in today's bulletin,
and it comes from DFennis, ZS4BS, the President of the SARL:

"The year 2010 is drawing to a close and many SARL members are on
holiday and spending quality time with their families and loved ones.
We think back over the year and remember many highlights in the SARL
calendar and also at club level. We must also pause and think of those
of our friends who became silent keys during this year.

What does 2011 hold in for us? Early in the new year, the new radio
regulations will be promulgated, in April the SARL National Convention
will be held in the Vaal Triangle and in August, the SARL will host the
22nd triennial General Conference of Region 1 of the International
Amateur Radio Union, the first such conference on the African
continent.

On behalf of the Council of the SARL, I would like to wish you and your
family an very Blessed Christmas and may 2011 be filled with good
health and success. To our Jewish radio amateurs, I wish you Happy
Hannaukah and to everybody I wish happy holidays".

This from Dennis, ZS4BS, but to you also many thanks and best wishes to
you and your family from all of us.

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

Thank you for listening, 73.

/EX