SARL NEWS - SUNDAY 20 JUNE 2012

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 'Amateur Radio Today' and follow the links
for details. 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 MHz FM
from Pretoria (other news readers change to suit) with relays on 7 066
kHz and 3 695 kHz SSB.

SILENT KEY

It is with deep regret that the passing away of Johan 'Krit'
Kritzinger, ZU4JK, on Sunday 10 June 2012 is announced. We extend our
sincere condolences to his family and friends.

(PAUSE)

In the news today:

SARL ROADMAP PRESENTED TO ICASA

GOOD NEWS FOR SADC VISITORS

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

SARL ROADMAP PRESENTED TO ICASA

The SARL presented the Roadmap to regulatory reform to ICASA at the
quarterly liaison meeting held last week Thursday. It was briefly
discussed and agreed to set up a working group to consider the various
aspects tabled in the document.

The roadmap deals with the: Corrections to the current regulations,
Operating privileges for visitors from SADC countries, Quick access to
600 kHz, Amateur allocation at 5 MHz, Expansion of the 160 metre band
and Increased output power limits.

A copy of the SARL proposal to ICASA is available at www.sarl.org.za.

Amateurs wishing to comment on the document should send an email to
.

The first meeting of the work group will be held in July.

GOOD NEWS FOR SADC VISITORS

The SARL would like to have an agreement in place similar to the CEPT
one. Meanwhile ICASA has advised the SARL that, while such a proposal
is under discussion, visitors who hold a valid amateur radio license in
a SADC country, may apply for temporary authorisation to operate in
South Africa. A copy of his license and the period to be spent in South
Africa, must be presented. His request must be sent to
as well as . The turn around
time will be approximately 48 hours.

SKA TO FEATURE ON THE INTECNET TONIGHT

Prof Justin Jonas of the SKA team will be the guest on the next
Interactive Technical Net (INTECNET) tonight, Sunday 17 June. The net
will start at 19:30. Prof Jonas will talk about what part of the SKA
will come to South Africa and highlight the science that will be done.
He will also participate in an interactive session and answer questions
from radio amateurs around the country.

125 CANDIDATES PASSED THE RAE IN MAY

A total number of 144 candidates wrote the amateur radio examination
class A in May this year. The pass rate was 81% with 116 candidates
passing the examination. 10 candidates wrote the class B examination,
of which 9 candidates passed.

Highest marks of 94% was achieved by 2 candidates: B Jakovljevic,
ZS6BAT, and HC Von Stockhausen, ZS6VST.

The youngest candidate to sit the examination was 11 years old. He is
GJ du Toit with the call sign ZU5GDT.

All candidates who have passed and received their curator ad litem
signs, may go on the air and do not have to wait for the official
license documents, which may take a few weeks to be processed. The
results are published on www.sarl.org.za and the letters have been
mailed.

All successful candidates, who submit an application form to the SARL,
will receive a complimentary membership of the SARL for one year. The
membership includes full excess to Radio ZS on the web and all other
membership services such as the QSL bureau.

There are a few candidates who have not submitted the HF evaluation
documents. They will only receive their curator ad litem signs once the
paperwork has been received by the SARL.

INVITATION FOR ARRL/TAPR DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS CONFERENCE

Amateurs are invited to submit technical papers for presentation at the
31st Annual ARRL and TAPR Digital Communications Conference to be held
from 21 to 23 September 2012 at the Sheraton Gateway Airport Hotel in
Atlanta, Georgia. Papers will also be published in the Conference
Proceedings (you do not need to attend the conference to have your
paper included in the Proceedings). The submission deadline is July 31.
Please send papers to Maty Weinberg at . For more
information about the conference visit www.tapr.org/dcc.

REPEATER WORK GROUP MEETS ON 23 JUNE

The SARL Repeater manager, Frik Wolff, ZS6FZ, reports that several
clubs and repeater group have responded to an invitation for all
division 6 clubs to send their representative to the repeater work
group meeting to be held at the National Amateur Radio Centre (NARC) on
Saturday 23 June at 09:00.

To assist with catering arrangements, please send details of who will
be attending to if you have not already done
so.

WHO'S WHO ON VHF AND UHF?

A comprehensive data base is currently being prepared of all the VHF
and UHF amateurs who are equipped for VHF and UHF operation, and
specifying all those who are currently active on 50, 70, 144, 432 and 1
296 MHz. All amateurs in South Africa and the neighbouring states are
invited to submit their details, irrespective whether they are members
of the SARL or not. The following information is required: Full name,
cell or landline number, city or town, call sign, locator, power and
type of antenna equipped for on each band, which bands you are
currently active on and the transmission modes used.

Please help to prepare and update an accurate list of VHF/UHF amateurs
in Southern Africa, and make an effort to submit your data and/or those
of your friends as it will be of great value to the VHF fraternity. You
could post your details on the VHF Forums, zsvhf mailman list, via cell
on 084 612 9600, landline at 041 581 2425 or e-mail to
.

CONTEST NEWS

Today 17 June is World QRP Day and radio amateurs are encouraged to
operate using low power. You will be pleasantly surprised with the
results you can achieve using 5 watts or less on the bands. Give it a
try!

SARL TOP BAND QSO PARTY.

This is a fun activity to promote contacts on 160 metres between radio
amateurs in Southern African countries and to encourage radio amateurs
to apply for the SARL Top Band Award. The event is open to all licensed
amateurs that have access to the 160 metre band.

The QSO party will run from 00:00 (Zero hours) UTC or 02:00 CAT on
Thursday 21 June to 00:00 (Zero hours) UTC or 02:00 CAT on Monday 25
June. You may use CW and phone during the QSO Party on the following
frequencies - CW from1 810 to 1 838 kHz and Phone from 1 840 to 1 850
kHz.

The exchange is a RS(T) report and provincial or country abbreviation.
Following the QSO, the station must change the dial frequency by at
least 2 kHz for the next QSO, unless a period of 10 minutes has lapsed
between contacts. The frequency of each QSO must be shown on the log
sheet.

Each station can be worked once on Phone and once on again on CW. Each
contact will count three (3) points and five (5) additional bonus
points will be awarded for each South African call area and each DXCC
country worked. Total Score = (Total QSO points) plus (Bonus points).

Log sheets must be submitted by Monday 2 July to the West Rand Amateur
Radio Club, PO Box 5344, Weltevreden Park, 1725 or sent by e-mail to
.

PEARS FUN CONTEST

The Port Elizabeth amateur radio club held a fun contest on 26th May.
There was only 1 winner, Gerrit, ZS2XD, with 54 QSO's and a total of
675 points. Congratulations Gerrit!

WEST RAND FLEA MARKET

The West Rand Amateur Radio Club is hosting its next flea market on
Saturday 30 June at 12:00 at the clubhouse in Kroton Street,
Weltevredenpark, Roodepoort. Everyone is very welcome. For more
information, contact Phillip, ZS6PVT, at 083 267 3835.

PROPAGATION REPORT

Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the Solar activity is at moderate
levels. Sunspot 1 504 continues to expand into a large sized sunspot
cluster and now spans the size of at least 4 planet Earths. This
sunspot now harbours enough energy to produce X-class flares.

If you want to do your own frequency predictions, the expected
effective sunspot number for the week will be around 90.

Amateurs will have fun on the bands from 20 to 10 meter, which will
provide lots of DX with 15 m providing the best openings and 20 meter
not far behind. 10 meter openings will be less frequent and mostly on
east-west paths.

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

DIARY OF EVENTS 17 June - Today, top band QSO-party, all day. 17 June -
This evening at 17:30, Intechnet about the SKA with Prof. Justin Jonas
as guest speaker. 23 June - Repeater group meeting at 09:00 at the
NARC. 30 June - West Rand flea market starting at 12:00 at Kroton
Street. For more information, contact Phillip, ZS6PVT, at 083 267 3835

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 145,725 MHz in the Pretoria area, with relays
on 7 082, 7 205 and 17 760 kHz. There is also a podcast by Dirk, ZS6RO.
For a web-stream and Echolink by ZS6FCS, visit www.sarl.org.za, click
on 'Amateur Radio Today', go down the green column and click on 'LISTEN
ON THE WEB'. A repeat transmission can be heard on Mondays at 17:30 UTC
on 4 895 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 Flip Britz, ZS4GE/6, and edited by George Honiball, ZS6NE.

Thank you for listening. 73.

/EX

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