SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE NEWS SUNDAY 24 JANUARY 2016

Good morning and welcome to the weekly news bulletin of the South
African Radio League read by ................ [your name, call sign and
QTH]

You may tune in to the South African Radio League news bulletin on
Sunday mornings at 08:15 Local Time in Afrikaans and at 08:30 Local
Time in English on HF and on many VHF and UHF repeaters around our
country. Echolink listeners may connect to ZS0JPL for a relay.

This audio bulletin may be downloaded from the League website at
www.sarl.org.za where you will also find this and previous bulletins in
text format under the news link on the left-hand side of the web page.
While you are there, you may sign up to receive future bulletins by
e-mail.

IN THE NEWS TODAY

SUBMIT YOUR NOMINATIONS FOR SARL AWARDS

NASA TERMINATES A IMPORTANT SPACEWALK PREMATURELY

SARL @ HOME EVENT ON 30 JANUARY

AND SOME NEWS ON THE LEAP YEAR CHALLENGE

Stay tuned for mor on these and other interesting news items

** Members and clubs are invited to submit nominations to Council for
the following SARL awards. These nominations are to reach the SARL
Secretary at before 31 January 2016.

Categories a

Honorary Life Membership - the SARL's highest honour

Willie Wilson Gold Badge Awarded by Council to the amateur that gave
exceptional and meritorious service to the League.

Jack Twine Award To recognise qualities such as unselfishness, clean
operating and a genuine interest in Amateur Radio and its affairs. This
prestigious Award will be made to Amateurs who, in the opinion of their
fellow amateurs and the League's Council, exemplify the qualities
desirable in a Radio Amateur.

Arthur Hemsley 2 metre Trophy Awarded by Council to a Radio Amateur for
his/her individual achievements with transmissions in the 2 metre
amateur band. This award is made for extraordinary performance on EME
or modes such as tropospheric propagation. It is not for the longest
distance worked but rather for persistence in achieving something
special on 2 metres.

Barney Joel Trophy Awarded by Council to any member of the SARL for the
best performance during the year whilst working HF mobile. This award
could be made for performance by an individual in rally or other public
event communication etc.

Icom Excellence Award This award is bestowed annually by Council on the
amateur who through his/her activity in the Amateur Service has brought
international recognition to South Africa by either the achievement of
a VHF/UHF long distance record which is internationally recognized by
the IARU, or by service to the Republic of South Africa or the SARL in
the field of scientific research using the amateur spectrum, or in
promoting the amateur service internationally or as Council may
determine from time to time.

Joseph White Plaque Awarded by Council to any member of the SARL for
exceptional achievements in the 432 MHz band during the past year. This
is not awarded for the longest distance worked, but for all round
achievements.

Bert Buckley Six metre Trophy Awarded by Council to any radio amateur
for his/her individual achievements with transmissions in the six metre
amateur band. This award is not for the longest distance worked but for
outstanding work or activity on six metres.

Tinus Lange 7066 Technical Exellence Award The award will be bestowed
annually on the persons who submit a technical project in any of the
following categories: Design and-or construction of projects such as a
pre-amp, SWR bridge, patching unit, automatic ID-er, practical antenna
ideas, mast, portable gear, power supplies etc.

Any software for use in Amateur Radio The submission must include the
following: The actual items, if size and mass allows it, or
photographs, particular in the case of antennas-mast etc. A complete
write-up in article form with illustrations-pictures ready for
publication in Radio ZS The Award

Technical Achievement Award A framed certificate and a cash award of
R1000

Presentation All entries to be displayed (where practical, otherwise
photographs) at the AGM and the award to be presented at the annual
dinner. Closing date Entries close each year on January 31.

SAATI Award Awarded by Council to a South African radio amateur who has
made an exceptional contribution in the field of digital communication
in either the development of hardware or software. This is an award for
development work, not for operating achievements. It is not limited to
members of the SARL.

** Rick Roderick, K5UR, is elected as the ARRL's 16th President. The
ARRL Board of Directors has elected ARRL First Vice President Rick
Roderick, K5UR, of Little Rock, Arkansas, as the ARRL President. The
Board took this action as it convened for its 2016 Annual Meeting on 15
and 16 January. Rick officially assumed office for a 2-year term at the
conclusion of the Annual Meeting and succeeds Kay Craigie, N3KN, of
Blacksburg, Virginia, who had served for three terms since being
elected in 2010. Rick has been an amateur for 48 years and is active on
HF and VHF/UHF.

** NASA prematurely terminated the 15 January spacewalk that astronauts
Tim Peake, KG5BVI, and Tim Kopra, KE5UDN, had been undertaking since
early that morning. The two were replacing a voltage regulator near the
solar arrays that had failed in November outside the International
Space Station (ISS) when Kopra reported what NASA Control called "a
small amount of water" inside his space helmet. NASA cut the spacewalk
short at about 17:00 UTC.

The incident recalled the 2013 problem suffered by astronaut Luca
Parmitano, KF5KDP, when his helmet inexplicably began filling with
water. The situation became urgent by the time Parmitano and fellow
spacewalker Chris Cassidy, KF5KDR, were ordered back into the ISS. NASA
subsequently blamed the water build-up on unexplained cooling system
issues.

The 15 January spacewalk was the first for Peake and the third for
Kopra. Peake, the first UK astronaut and Kopra arrived at the ISS in
December. All Amateur Radio equipment on the ISS is routinely shut down
during EVAs, effectively postponing planned commemorative slow-scan TV
transmissions.

** This is an open invitation to join a morning of amateur radio
activity. On Saturday 30 January all roads will lead to the NARC for
the first SARL@home event for 2016. The programme features:

9:00am Registration for new Class B course

9:30am Meet and greet all the parents and new comers

10:00am Hammies field station at NARC (the ZU team working on 40m.
Hopefully condition will allow contacts with the Hammies in KZN and PE)

10:30am Welcome by Nico van Rensburg ZS6QL

11:00am Video on amateur radio (The new RSGB video)

11:15am Refreshments

11:30am YOTA presentation by Koos Fick ZR6KS

11:45am 2016 YOTA Austria team announcement

12:00pm Photo shoot

12:15pm General open session - Discussion on 5MHz band plan

** You are invited to take part in the Leap Year Challenge on Monday 29
February 2016 and make as many contacts as you can on this day. The
challenge starts at 00:01 and ends at 23:59 CAT all modes, all bands.
Work a station once only regardless of band, mode or call sign.

Submit your log by e-mail to by midnight Wednesday 2
March 2016. The log received with the most QSOs will win a SARL
membership for 2016/2017. If you do not take part, you will have to
wait until 2020, the next leap year, to put the date 29 February into
your logbook!

** The next flea market of the East Rand Radio Club is taking place on
30 January 2016 Starting 12H00 Mid day Clubhouse in Ebenezer Str Arrowe
Park Benoni.

Don't miss out on specials or even our auction that is taking place
during the flea market.

Please make sure to be there and bring lots of money and the whole
family

For more info contact Judy via email on

To book a table for only R20 contact Judy 0797302030 or


Come taste the nicest Boerewors that you have ever tasted

PROPAGATION REPORT

Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the solar activity is expected to
be at low levels. None of the currently visible sunspots pose a threat
for serious flaring.

If you want to do your own frequency predictions, the expected
effective sunspot number for the week will be around 51.

The 20 to 15 m bands will provide lots DX fun, with some 10 m openings
also possible.

Please visit the website spaceweather.sansa.org.za for further
information.

DIARY OF EVENTS

25 January - closing date for your VHF/UHF article for the February
Radio ZS 30 January - SARL@Home at the NARC 31 January - The closing
date for nominations for Council and the submission of motions for the
AGM 31 January - closing date for the summer QRP logs 13 and 14
February - the SARL National Field Day 15 February - closing date for
the PEARS VHF/UHF logs 22 to 24 April - the 2016 SARL National
Convention in Sasolburg

To end this bulletin, a quick reminder for clubs and individuals to
submit their nominations for the various awards to be bestowed during
the anual general meeting of the SARL to be held in Sasolburg.

And that brings us to the end of this bulletin

** Clubs and individuals are invited to submit news items of interest
to radio amateurs and shortwave listeners, if possible, in both English
and Afrikaans, by following the news inbox link on the South African
Radio League web page. News items for inclusion in the bulletin should
reach the news team no later than the Thursday preceding the bulletin
date.

You are welcome to join us every Sunday morning for the weekly amateur
radio magazine programme 'Amateur Radio Today' at 10:00 Central African
Time. The programme can be heard on VHF and UHF repeaters countrywide
and on 7 082 kHz lower side-band and on 7 205 kHz and 17 760 kHz AM.
There is also a podcast available from Dick Stratford, ZS6RO. A
rebroadcast can be heard on Monday evenings at 18:30 Central African
Time on 3 230 kHz AM.

We welcome your signal reports, comments and suggestions; please send
these by e-mail to . Sentech sponsors the radio
transmissions on the non-amateur frequencies.

You have listened to a news bulletin compiled by Dawie Conradie,
ZR6DHC, edited by Brian Utterson, ZS6AE, and read by ..............

From the entire news team, best wishes for the week ahead.

/EX

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