SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE NEWS SUNDAY 24 JULY 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.

We start this bulletin with news of a silent key.

It is with deep regret that we must announce the passing of Quintin
Immelman, ZS6IY, on Saturday 23 July after suffering a heart attack.

We extend our sincere condolences to his parents, Lorna and Gary,
ZS6YI, their family and friends.

PAUSE

In the news today,

HANS VAN DE GROENENDAAL, ZS6AKV, AWARDED THE IARU PRESIDENT'S AWARD

THE ZS2 SPRINT THIS AFTERNOON

and

THE SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING ON 30 JULY

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

** On Thursday 21 July, Hans van de Groenendaal, ZS6AKV, was informed
by the IARU Secretariat that the IARU President's Award has been
awarded to him for his many years of service to the IARU and the
contributions he has made to the IARU especially in the area of
satellite frequency coordination. The award will be presented to Hans
during an upcoming League function.

Congratulations Hans.

** The ZS2 Sprint is on the air this afternoon from 14:00 to 15:00 UTC
with CW and phone activity on 40 metres. Here is your chance to get
those ZS2 QSOs for your Worked all ZS award. Working a station in ZS2
counts 2 points and working the Border Radio Club, ZS2BRC, and the Port
Elizabeth Amateur Radio Society, ZS2PE, are worth 5 points each. All
other contacts count 1 point. Find all the information on page 49 of
the 2016 SARL Blue Book.

** The South African Radio League Special General meeting will be held
at the National Amateur Radio Centre on Saturday 30 July 2016 starting
at 10 am. Registration will start at 8 am. Only the items on the SGM
agenda will be discussed. The agenda is as follows: SGM administrative
issues, update on the financial reports, the revised budget,
appointment of an auditor, formal announcement of the new council, the
Antenna Defence Fund and a report on the Hall of Fame. No other matters
can be discussed at an SGM.

If you are attending please send an e-mail to to
confirm your attendance, this will assist with the arrangements to
accommodate everyone. The NARC has seating arrangements for 50 persons.
Because of the short nature of the meeting, no catering arrangements
will be made. If you are not attending, please give your proxy to
someone who is attending. Members who hold a large number of proxies
are requested to arrive as soon as possible after 8 am.

** Join the AMSAT SA "Future of Satellite SDR" conversation. AMSAT SA
invites interested radio amateurs to join the conversation about the
use of SDR transponders on satellites. It will take place on Wednesday
27 July at 20:30 on Skype. The objective is to discuss software defined
radio applications and to establish an amateur radio research group to
develop a SDR transponder. To join the conversation, send an e-mail to
by Tuesday afternoon. Deon Coetzee, ZR1DE, will
moderate the conversation. Only 10 participants can be accommodated.
Participants must ensure that they are using the latest updated Skype
software. A report will be published after the discussion on
www.amsatsa.org.za

** What can we expect on VHF in the coming months? Warmer conditions
will start to appear in the month of August. So what can we expect
during the months ahead? Tropo Enhancement and Ducting should produce
strong signals again for the next 8 months or longer over the frequency
range of 50 MHz to 10 GHz. Although Meteor scatter on digital can be
worked throughout the year on 50 to 432 MHz, analogue contacts are only
possible during meteor showers from April to beginning of August, and
again from October to beginning of January. The TEP season runs from
September to November and February to April, producing DX signals on 50
-144 MHz to Southern Europe. The Sporadic-E in the Southern Hemisphere
peaks in December and January with very strong signals on 50 - 144 MHz
up to 2 500 km.

Then of course, we have year-round propagation such as the following:
Aircraft Scatter and Tropo Scatter manifest on 50 MHz to 10 GHz, but
Tropo Scatter requires a high gain antenna and higher power. EME DX can
be worked daily on 50 MHz to 24 GHz, as long as the Moon is visible at
both ends. Then local and DX Satellite contacts are possible from
144/432 MHz and even up to 2,4 GHz if suitable satellites are on the
air. Also, see the colour propagation chart on the front cover of the
September/October 2013 issue of Radio ZS.

** The closing date for articles for the August issue of Radio ZS is
Tuesday 26 July and you can send your article to .
In the August issue, you can read about the 9M0Z DXpedition, get
information on a number of projects, and read about the highest SOTA
activation in South Africa. There is still space for your article.

The Editor notes that only 423 copies of the July Radio ZS have been
download.

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

** Applications for membership of the South African Radio League have
been received from the following persons - Tarquin Roode, ZR1TR, Reg du
Toit, ZS1ADC, C A Blackie, ZS1CAB, Tamara Jade Nieuwoudt, ZS1PTT,
Merrick Flugel, ZS2MH, Randall Steve Botha, ZS5EE, Keith Duffield,
ZS5KAD, Malcolm Jacobs, ZS5MBJ, Christiaan C Greyling, ZR6AUI, Brian
Frederick Edwards, ZS6AAB, and Robert Miles, ZS6YC

Any objections to the acceptance of the applications must reach the
Secretary before or on the Tuesday after this bulletin. The League now
has 1 083 confirmed members for the next term; there are still many
renewals outstanding. If you have not yet renewed your membership,
please do so now. At the end of August, you will cease to be a member
if you have not renewed. Thirty-one Clubs have already renewed their
affiliation.

** VHF News from Division 3. Kobus van der Merwe, ZS3JPY, reported from
Kleinzee that they had great 2 metre QSOs on 145,500 FM simplex on
Tuesday evening, 19 July, along the West Coast of South Africa. It
covered Andre, V51LZ, in Oranjemund, Kobus, ZS3JPY, in Kleinzee,
Charles, ZS1CF, in Langebaan and Tienie, ZS1HO, in Vredenburg for an
hour and a half with good S9 signals. Charles, ZS1CF, beamed at the
Picketberg with a 10 element Yagi vertical polarized; they also tried
the 145,625 MHz repeater on Picketberg, but it did not even make a
noise, again great backscatter playing a roll. Pieter, V51PJ with 1 000
watts was on frequency, but was beaming to Oranjemund horizontal and
Andre, V51LZ, received him but no one else could hear him. The Northern
Cape ARC, ZS3NC, was asked to listen as well and Andre, ZS3AG in
Kimberly, could hear only traces of audio. It was a small opening with
great results again.

** People interested in helping compile, proofread or read the League
news bulletins, are urged to contact Dawie, ZR6DHC, on


** Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the solar activity is expected
to be at low to moderate levels. Sunspots 2565 and 2567 have complex
magnetic configurations and may be the 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 24. The 20 and 15
m bands will provide lots of DX fun. Please visit the website
spaceweather.sansa.org.za for further information.

Now for the diary of events

This afternoon - the ZS2 Sprint 26 July - closing date for August Radio
ZS articles 30 July - the Special General Meeting at the National
Amateur Radio Centre 30 and 31 July - Islands on the Air contest 7
August - SARL HF Phone Contest 9 August - SARL YL Sprint 14 August -
SARL Youth Net

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

The ZS2 Sprint is on the air this afternoon from 14:00 to 15:00 UTC
with CW and phone activity on 40 metres. Here is your chance to get
those ZS2 QSOs for your Worked all ZS award.

The South African Radio League Special General meeting will be held at
the National Amateur Radio Centre on Saturday 30 July 2016 starting at
10 am

** 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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