SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE NEWS SUNDAY 7 FEBRUARY 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 can tune in to the South African Radio League news bulletin on
Sunday mornings at 08:15 Central African Time in Afrikaans and at 08:30
Central African Time in English on HF and on many VHF and UHF repeaters
around the country. Echolink listeners can connect to ZS0JPL for a
relay. A podcast is available from the League's web site.

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

In the news today

THE AWA CW ACTIVITY DAY THIS AFTERNOON

SARL AND ICASA HELD A SUCCESSFUL WORKSHOP

and

LICENCE FEES TO INCREASE

Stay tuned for more on these and other interesting news items.

** The aim of the Antique Wireless Association's CW Activity Day, which
is on the air this afternoon from 13:00 to 15:00 UTC, is for
participants to contact as many amateurs as possible on 14 000 to 14
060 kHz; 7 000 to 7 035 kHz and 3 500 to 3 560 kHz. The exchange is a
RST report, your name and your grid locator. Contacts count 1 point for
low power and 2 points for QRP.

There are five categories of participation - single operator all band -
low power (maximum 100 w); single operator all band - QRP (maximum 5
w); single operator single band - low power (maximum 100 w); single
operator, single band - QRP (maximum 5 w) or short wave listener (SWL).
Certificates are awarded to the first three places and the highest
single band score. Logs must be submitted by Tuesday 1 March by e-mail
to or The Southern African Antique Wireless
Association, PO Box 12320, Benoryn, 1504

** The South African Radio League and ICASA held a workshop hosted at
the National Amateur Radio Centre last week. The objective was to
engage ICASA employees who are not directly involved in amateur radio
licensing to learn more about the various facets of the Amateur Service
and the various technologies employed in Amateur Radio.

The new secondary allocation at 5 MHz was discussed. ICASA confirmed
that the African block supported the WRC agenda item and said that it
was largely as result of the propagation studies that the League and
its members carried out and the support the ICASA team was given by the
League to canvass for Regional and African support. ICASA also
confirmed that the new allocation would not be a problem but that it
would require a change in the table of frequency allocations. This is a
lengthy process but an interim measure will be looked at. The League
requested that the beacon frequency of 5 290 kHz be maintained to
continue the research project until at least the start of the next
solar cycle. The League will be submitting a formal motivation for
consideration by the ICASA Council and proposed that the power limit be
set at 26 dBW. A full report of the workshop is being prepared and will
be available on the League webpages soon.

** The Council regrets to inform members that Riaan Greeff, ZS4PR, the
League Treasurer, has resigned from Council. The resignation is for
personal reasons and Riaan remains a respected and valued member of the
South African Radio League. He will later decide at what time he will
return to council. The League expresses its appreciation for Riaan's
many years of service as a councillor and the enormous contribution he
made as Treasurer.

** The ZS1MM Beacon on 144,414 MHz is now on the air from Bredasdorp.
For the first time, a VHF beacon is covering the southern coast to
indicate Tropo ducting propagation from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth and
East London with all the towns in between. It was erected by Leon
Korkie, ZS1MM, at his QTH in Bredasdorp, operates on a frequency of
144,414 MHz CW and radiates a bi-directional horizontally polarised
signal from a dipole. Signal reports are invited.

** ICASA will be increasing the license fees for the 2016/2017
financial year. The increase will be based on the inflation rate and is
expected to be six rand. ICASA will make a full announcement next week
when the accounts will be posted. If you have a multi-year license, the
increase will not affect you.

** The Zululand Amateur Radio Club, ZS5ZLB, will be celebrating its
21st birthday on Sunday 21 February 2016 and the club will be hosting a
luncheon at the Adams Outpost in Eshowe to celebrate this wonderful
milestone. The club will also be operating a field station at the venue
from 09:00 - 12:00, will be on the 40 m band and invites all radio
amateurs to join us on frequency to make a QSO with our club and
receive a commemorative birthday QSL card. It would be wonderful to
have as many amateur radio friends and family join us for the event and
luncheon and any further information can be obtained from the club
secretary - Dawn Snyders on 083 340 3819

You are listening to a news bulletin of the South African Radio League.

** The theme for the March issue of Radio ZS is emergency
communications. To date only two articles have been received with an
emergency theme. Where are the Clubs that provide communications for
motor rallies, cycle races and road running marathons? It can also
cover air races and maritime communications. Your article, in English
or Afrikaans, can be sent to by Wednesday 24
February.

** The results of the Summer QRP contest held on 23 January are as
follows:

1st East Rand Branch, ZS6ERB - 600 points 2nd Hammies ARC, ZS6ZU - 580
points 3rd Romeo Nardini, ZS6ARQ, and the West Rand ARC - 480 points

Congratulations to the East Rand Branch

** Based on logs so far received there were almost 600 contacts made
from Divisions 2, 4, 5, 6, and V5 during the PEARS VHF/UHF Contest.
However, it appears that many participants are reluctant to submit
logs. To make it easy you may submit your log sheet in any form, we
will sort it out and calculate the distance. Even if you have not made
high scores, your log still contains interesting data about the
distribution of VHF amateurs and the propagation that can only be
recorded during a VHF contest. Of course, it will be also a nice way of
saying thank you for arranging a VHF contest. The deadline is 15
February 2016; just e-mail your logs to

** The first leg of the League's National Field Day is on the air from
10:00 UTC on Saturday 13 February to 10:00 UTC on Sunday 14 February
2016. Activity is on all the HF bands, excluding the WARC bands and you
may use phone, CW, PSK and RTTY. You and/or your club can participate
in one of six classes - Class A - field station, multi operator; Class
B - field station, multi operator, QRP; Class C - field station, single
operator; Class D - field station, single operator, QRP, Class E -
ultra light portable or Class F - general stations. To encourage more
individuals and groups to participate in the National Field Day, a
6-hour section has been introduced. It need not be for one continuous
6-hour period, but once operation has commenced in the contest, off
periods must be a minimum of 60 minutes.

The exchange is a RS or RST report, the number of transmitters, the
Field Day operating class and the Provincial abbreviation. Logs, in
ADIF, Cabrillo or MS Excel format and labelled "your call sign NFD,"
must be sent by e-mail to . The closing date for log
submissions is 21 February 2016. A photo or photos of the station in
operation (JPG format) MUST accompany every log entry. Please consult
the 2016 SARL Blue Book for the complete rules.

** The SARL News team is constantly on the lookout for new members to
join our team. You may assist with the actual compilation, proofreading
or recording of the weekly SARL news bulletins. Should you wish to
become involved, please contact Dawie, ZR6DHC, on e-mail


** Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the solar activity is expected
to be at low to moderate levels. New Sunspot AR2494 is growing rapidly
and may soon be a source of M-class solar flares.

If you want to do your own frequency predictions, the expected
effective sunspot number for the week will be around 56. The 20 to 10 m
bands will provide lots DX fun. Please visit the website
spaceweather.sansa.org.za for further information.

Now for the diary of events

Today at 13:00 UTC the AWA CW Activity Day 13 and 14 February - the
SARL National Field Day 14 February - the SARL Youth Net at 15:00 UTC
on 7 070 kHz 15 February - closing date for the PEARS VHF/UHF logs 21
February - Zululand ARC 21st Birthday luncheon 24 February - closing
date for articles for the March 2016 Radio ZS 27 February - the West
Rand ARC Flea Market 28 February - The SARL Digital Contest 29 February
- the Leap Year Challenge 1 March - closing date for AWA CW logs

To end this bulletin, a recap of our main news item this morning.

The aim of the Antique Wireless Association's CW Activity Day, which is
on the air this afternoon from 13:00 to 15:00 UTC, is for participants
to contact as many amateurs as possible on 14 000 to 14 060 kHz; 7 000
to 7 035 kHz and 3 500 to 3 560 kHz. The exchange is a RST report, your
name and your grid locator. Contacts count 1 point for low power and 2
points for QRP.

** 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; 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 Dennis Green, ZS4BS,
edited by Dave Reece, ZS1DFR, and read by ....................

73 and 88, thank you for listening

/EX

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