SARL weekly news in English 2016-8-13
 

SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE NEWS SUNDAY 14 AUGUST 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 it must be announced that the key of Colin
McNally, ZS6MAC, went silent on Monday 8 August 2016.

We extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends.

PAUSE

In the news today,

IMPORTANT REMINDER FOR ZU LICENSEES OVER 25 YEARS

FOURTEEN SOUTH AFRICAN LIGHTHOUSES ON THE AIR NEXT WEEKEND

and

SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE HF DIGITAL CONTEST NEXT SUNDAY

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

** The monthly South African Radio League Youth Net will be held this
afternoon at 15:00 UTC. Join Koos Fick, ZR6KF, on 7 070 kHz this
afternoon. Clubs are invited to use the opportunity to introduce young
persons to amateur radio by inviting them to join the event and get to
talk on the air under the supervision of a licensed radio amateur.

** One of the initiatives from your new Council is a regular News
Flash. The first News Flash will be sent to all members this week and
will be available on the SARL website. The purpose of the News Flash is
to provide a "State of the League" message to radio amateurs from the
President of the League.

** If you hold a ZU license and are older than 25, your license will
expire on 31 March 2017 and will not be renewable. ICASA recommends
that the affected persons enrol for a Class A license course and write
the next RAE in October 2016.

The revised regulation stipulates that persons under 20 years old can
write the Class B examination and if successful, can hold a ZU or Class
B license until 25 years old after which, if they would like to
continue with Amateur Radio, they have to sit the Class A examination
to qualify for a Class A (ZS/ZR) license. On 31 March 2017, the grace
period that the SARL negotiated with ICASA expires.

If you are over 25 and still hold a ZU license do not lose out. Write
the October examination. Tutorial material is available free of charge.
Download it from www.sarl.org.za

** SCS Space (subsidiary of the privately owned South African SCS
Aerospace group) partnered with AMSAT SA to assist with internationally
distributed ground station facilities for their up and coming QB50
satellite, "nSight-1". The use of multiple ground stations will
multiply the downloaded science and imagery (32 m resolution) data
generated by the satellite. QB50 is a constellation of 50 CubeSats that
will be launched into a low earth orbit to study the earth's lower
thermosphere. QB50 will provide multi-point, in-situ measurements. Each
satellite will carry one of three science sensors that will generate
data that must be downloaded to the ground daily.

This is a unique opportunity for Radio Amateurs in South Africa to
participate in an interesting satellite project. To participate please
send details of your station, such as transceiver and antennas
available as well as your location to . The next
step will be to participate in a briefing session that will be
conducted on Skype in two weeks' time. More details on
www.amsatsa.org.za.

** The next AMSAT SDR Conversation takes place on Wednesday 24 August.
The second AMSAT SDR Conversation was held last Wednesday when a basic
mind-map to develop a SDR transponder was proposed and discussed.
During the next two weeks, the participants will populate the mind-map,
which will be discussed at the next SDR Conversation on Wednesday 24
August. For more information and how to take part in the conversation,
visit www.amsatsa.org.za.

** VHF DX can be worked during poor HF conditions. There are many
countries across our northern border that includes Namibia, Botswana,
Angola, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique. Several of these countries are
already on VHF and what is needed is to encourage VHF activity in as
many sub-Saharan countries as possible. Our long coastline covers many
islands such as Madagascar, Reunion, Marion, Tristan da Cunha,
Ascension and St Helena. Reunion Island has been worked many times on
both 144 and 432 MHz, up to a maximum distance of around 3 240 km on
144 MHz SSB and digital. Division 2 and 5 stations made contact with
Marion Island on 50 MHz CW, SSB and FM over a maximum distance around 1
880 km.

The distance between Cape Town and Lüderitz is about 845 km and has
been worked on both 144 and 432 MHz SSB. Cape Town is about 3 000 km
from St Helena Island and it should be an easy target on 144 MHz SSB or
FM. The challenges are there, it only requires serious amateurs to
accept them and advance amateur radio, but you will need a horizontal
Yagi and about 100 Watts to do it.

Then there is the TEP season that stretches from September to November
and again from February to April, which enables Divisions 3, 4, 5 and 6
to work DX around the Mediterranean on 50, 70 and 144 MHz.

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

** The closing date for your SARL HF Phone Contest logs is midnight
tonight and they must be sent to .

** The closing date for the SARL YL Sprint logs is midnight on Tuesday
16 August and they must be sent to .

** The oldest and original International Amateur Radio Lighthouse
Weekend event takes to the air on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 August. You
will find all the information at www.illw.net. The event is NOT a
contest. There are no prizes, certificates or other enticements to
participate and, therefore, participation is free.

There are fourteen lighthouses from South Africa taking part. Look out
for ZS9V from the lighthouse on Robben Island, IOTA AF-064 and ZS1DJR
from the South Head Lighthouse at Saldanha Bay - this will be a first
time activation for South Head. Other lighthouses are ZS1BAK at Cape
Agulhas, ZS1C at Cape Hangklip, ZS1CT at Green Point, Cape Town, ZS1FC
at North Head, Saldanha Bay, ZS1FRC at Slangkop Point, ZS1OAK at
Milnerton Lighthouse, ZS1OAR at Danger Point, ZS2EC at Cape Recife,
ZS2PE at Seal Point, ZS2ZU at Donkin/The Hill, ZS5D at Cooper
Lighthouse and ZS5HAC at the North Sands Bluff Lighthouse. Try to work
all fourteen.

** The aim of the HF Digital Contest is for participants to contact as
many amateurs in Southern Africa as possible using RTTY and PSK31 on
the 20, 40 and 80 m amateur bands. The Contest takes place from 13:00
to 16:30 UTC on Sunday 21 August 2016 with activity on 3 580 to 3 600
kHz, 7 040 to 7 060 kHz and 14 070 to 14 099 kHz. You can participate
as a Single Operator Single Band station, a Single Operator All Band
station, a Multi Operator Single Band station or a Multi Operator All
Band station. The exchange is a RST report and a consecutive serial
number starting at 001. Digital contacts count 2 points. Get all the
rules in the 2016 Blue Book. Submit your log in ADIF, Cabrillo or MS
Excel format and labelled "your call sign HF Digital," by 28 August
2016 by e-mail to

** The Sasolburg Radio Club is currently busy with tests on an
alternative frequency for their Leeukop repeater on the N3 near Warden,
in the eastern Free State. This repeater forms part of the VHF network
established in 1993 and gives coverage for the west, north and eastern
Free State province. Through the years, the club has kept the network
operational and from time to time, it has been upgraded to allow
reliable communications for the amateurs travelling along the N1 and
the N3.

The purpose of this test is to minimise interference by and from
amateurs in the West Rand and greater Gauteng region. The frequency has
been changed from 145,625 MHz to 145.7375 MHz with an 88.5 Hz CTCSS
tone. The Club requests reports from users in the region, these can be
sent to .

** Applications for membership of the South African Radio League have
been received from the following persons - Ingo Berger (awaiting his
call sign) and Sinovuyo Nojoko, ZSL-1166

Any objections to the acceptance of these applications must reach the
League Secretary by e-mail to before or on
Wednesday 17 August 2016. The League now has 1 203 members and 34
affiliated clubs.

** Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the solar activity is expected
to remain at low levels. The visible sunspots do not pose a threat for
solar flares. If you want to do your own frequency predictions, the
expected effective sunspot number for the week will be around 31. The
15 to 20 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

Today - the SARL Youth Net at 15:00 UTC on 7 070 and the closing date
for SARL HF Phone logs 16 August - closing date for SARL YL Sprint logs
20 and 21 August - International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend 21
August - SARL HF Digital Contest 24 August - AMSAT SDR Conversation 28
August - SARL HF CW Contest and closing date for HF Digital logs 4
September - closing date for HF CW logs 10 and 11 September - SARL
National Field Day

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

The monthly South African Radio League Youth Net will be held this
afternoon at 15:00 UTC. Join Koos Fick, ZR6KF, on 7 070 kHz this
afternoon.

If you hold a ZU license and are older than 25, your license will
expire on 31 March 2017 and will not be renewable. ICASA recommends
that the affected persons enrol for a Class A license course and write
the next RAE in October 2016.

** 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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