SARL NEWS - SUNDAY 22 MAY 2011

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 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 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.

In the news today:

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

SOUTH AFRICA TO SUPPORT ALLOCATION AROUND 500 kHz

At the National Preparatory Working Group Meeting for the World Radio
Conference 2012 held in Pretoria this week Hans van de Groenendaal,
ZS6AKV, presented the SARL and IARU recommendation that method A, to
satisfy Agenda item 1.23, be accepted as South Africa's position.
Resolution 1.23 calls for the consideration of an allocation of 15 kHz
in parts of the band 415 - 526,5 kHz to the amateur service on a
secondary basis, taking into account the need to protect existing
services.

Method A proposes a secondary allocation of up to 15 kHz to the amateur
radio service on a world-wide basis between 472 and 487 kHz. A
representative from the CAA pointed out that many non-directional
beacons are operating in this band although according to ICASA only
some are licensed and not in the proposed amateur allocation. He said
that should the allocation be agreed to at the WRC12, these beacons
could move to different frequencies.

It was agreed to take the recommendation to the SADC WRC12 meeting to
be held in Botswana next week and, if accepted, will be tabled at the
ATU meeting next month where it hopefully will receive their support
for it to become an African block position.

The SARL is involved in the WRC12 National Preparatory Working Group to
keep a watch over other agenda items that may have an impact on Amateur
Radio and keeping the group informed about the IARU position on Agenda
items.

For a copy of the SARL recommendation visit www.sarl.org.za and select
the members' only pages.

BOB HEIL, K9EID, TO HEADLINE NEW INTERNET SHOW

On Tuesday, May 24, Bob Heil, K9EID - well known for his design of
microphones - will premier a new net cast show on Leo Laporte's TwiT.tv
website. Called HamNation, the show will focus on equipment,
applications, tips and general information for Radio Amateurs. Heil's
first guest will be rock star friend and fellow radio amateur Joe
Walsh, WB6ACU. Walsh also wrote the theme music for the show. The show
will be broadcast each week over the Internet at TWiT.tv at no cost.
TWiT.tv is also available in iTunes. "I have been a fan of Leo's for a
long time and recently appeared on his Triangulation 8 show," Heil
explained. "We had a blast, and much to my delight, he asked me to
develop a show for and about ham radio. Since the early 1900s, much of
the ham radio operators' focus has been on building and experimenting
with their equipment. Many of today's radios are computer controlled,
thus attracting new users to the hobby. Even in this day of instant
Internet communications, ham radio is still the premier communication
link, whether it's for storm spotters or talking to your friends around
the globe. This new TWiT.tv show will bring the existing and new users
together." More about the show in next week's SARLNEWS.

RADIO TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION HEADS FOR PE ON JUNE 4

The SARL Radio Technology in Action Symposium heads for Port Elizabeth
on 4 June. It will be held on the NMMU south campus and is presented in
co-operation with PEARS, the Port Elizabeth Amateur Radio Society. In
the hi-tech slot of the programme John Willescroft, ZS6EF, will talk
about Field Programmable Gate Arrays (to include an audio clip in your
bulletin download it from www.amateurradio.org.za/FGPA.mp3). The full
programme is available on www.sarl.org.za select RTA from the left hand
menu.

1912 THE EVENT - COMMEMORATIVE STATION VK5MGY

The following from WIANEWS:

The Adelaide Hills Amateur Radio Society was approached by a group
named "1912 the Event" to provide a CW operator for a commemorative
station. This group is commemorating the 100th anniversary of the
sinking of the Titanic in April 1912.

The Club have obtained the call VK5MGY from the ACMA. MGY was the call
of the Titanic. The call will be in use for the next 12 months and we
will produce a QSL card for contacts.

Keep your ear out for VK5MGY on the bands for the next 12 months.

Check out the event web site 1912theevent.com.

From the SARL news editor: Interesting, the detector of the receiver on
the Carpathia, by which the emergency call from the Titanic was
received, was in the Telkom museum when the museum was still in
Pretoria. We trust that it is still well looked after.

PROPAGATION REPORT

Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the solar activity is at low
levels. Sunspot 1 208 turned away from Earth on the 18th, carried over
the western edge of the solar disk by the sun's 27-day rotation. En
route to the far side, the active region delivered a parting shot. The
May 18th eruption was followed by another on May 19th; both hurled CMEs
into space. The clouds will sail wide of Earth, continuing the recent
spell of relatively quiet space weather around our planet. There is
currently no chance for strong solar flares around any of the currently
visible sunspot regions. For the people doing their own frequency
predictions the expected effective sunspot number for the week is about
30.

15 m will provide the best opportunities for DX followed by 20 and 30 m
and the WARC bands in-between, of course.

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

DIARY OF EVENTS

18 to 22 May - Follow Dayton Hamvention via W5KUB.com. 22 May -ZS4
Sprint from 14:00 till 15:00 UTC. 25 May - Closing date for nominations
for NSN awards, visit www.amateurradio.org.za. 25 May - 3rd SARL 80 m
Club contest 17:30 to 18:30 UTC. 4 June - RTA in Port Elizabeth at NMMU
south campus. 18 June - Programming in Windows course in Gauteng. Book
at www.sarl.org.za.

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 Today every Sunday
morning at 10:00 CAT on 145,750 MHz in the Pretoria area, with relays
on 7 082, 7 205 and 17 750 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 18:30 CAT on 3 230 kHz. Sentech sponsors the ARMI
transmissions on the non-amateur frequencies.

You have listened to a bulletin of the South African Radio League,
compiled by Gustav, ZS6BWN.

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