SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE NEWS SUNDAY 11 DECEMBER2016

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 as well as on many VHF and UHF repeaters around
the 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 whereyou will find this as well as 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.

SILENT KEY

It is with regret that we have to announce that the key of Martin
Nortman, ZS6TMN has gone silent on the morning of Saturday, 3 December,
after losing the fight with cancer.

Martin was an exceptional example of what a Ham should be. Martin
supported the East Rand Radio Branch, Kempton Amateur Radio Technical
Society and Hamnet Gauteng South with his time, money and knowledge. He
was always willing to learn, and in turn passed that knowledge onto
others.

He will be dearly missed by his wife Mina ZS6MNT, family and many radio
friends. Rest in peace old friend, until one day, we meet again.

PAUSE

IN THE NEWS TODAY

A NEW BANDPLAN

A VERY SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY

2017 AGM HOSTING CLUB ANNOUNCED

AND SOME CLUBNEWS

Stay tuned for more on these and other interesting stories.

** On Friday ICASA published the proposed National Frequency Band plan
in a 230 page document as part of a mega Government Gazette of over 500
pages. The band plan creates a number of challenges for Amateur Radio
which will have to be addressed and documented for submission to ICASA
by 27 January 2016 followed by public hearings which may be held on 2
and 3 February 3017. It is expected that ICASA will publish the draft
National Radio Frequency Plan on www.icasa.org.za. Watch the SARL
homepage for more information as and when it becomes available.

Some good news is that ICASA has agreed to allow members of the South
African Radio League to operate on 5260 and 5290 kHz. Since the
original authority to operate on these two frequencies expired on 31
October 2015 there were some interim on off arrangements. ICASA has now
confirmed that under a trial license these frequencies may be used by
SARL members for the next 8 months.

On Wednesday 14 December the SARL will present it reasons why amateur
radio equipment should be considered for exemption of type approval
regulations.

It is a busy time for the SARL Manager Regulatory and his committee.
Details will be published on the SARL home page as the committee
reviews the new National Frequency Band Plan and information about type
approval will become available.

*** Today 11 December 2016 marks the 95year anniversary of reception of
a radio signal in Ardrossan, Scotland,transmitted from the official
test station of Minton Cronkhite, 1BCG, in a small shack on the corner
of Clapboard Ridge Road and North Street in Greenwich, USA, helped to
usher in the age of global communication. Reception in Scotland of the
1BCG signal was part of the second series of ARRL transatlantic tests.
For the receiving end, the ARRL Board had selected a receiver designed
by Paul Godley, 2ZE, and Godley traveled to the UK to oversee that end
of the circuit.

Joining Godley in a field in Ardrossan, southwest of Glasgow, was
Marconi Company District Inspector D.E. Pearson. The two attempted to
keep out of the driving wind and rain by sheltering themselves and
their equipment in a tent. This rough listening post was comprised of a
superheterodyne and a regenerative receiver, a 1,300-foot Beverage
antenna suspended 12 feet above ground, batteries, and auxiliary
equipment. CW signals of 1BCG, which had been designed and constructed
by the Radio Club of America members -- were solidly copied on 230 to
235 meters (about 1.3 MHz). They were the only signals heard that
morning in Ardrossan. By the end of the tests, eight spark and 18 CW
stations had been heard as well.

*** The Sporadic-E season in the southern hemisphere appears in
December and peaks in January and providing very strong SSB or FM
signals on the 50 MHz band. These elusive band openings can easily be
missed as they usually last only about half an hour or sometimes up to
an hour, so one has to keep an eye on distant VHF beacons for early
warnings.

Division 1 has worked Divisions 5 and 6 on Es in the past, while
Division 2 has logged many stations in Division 6 and as far afield as
Namibia. Division 6 stations have worked as far north as 9U5D over a
distance of 2269 km. On very rare occasions super Es openings have been
recorded up to three hours long, such as experienced by Hannes Vorster,
ZS2BE, and Owen Wheeler, ZR2HZ, at Port Elizabeth who enjoyed an Es
field day with Kosie du Buisson, ZS3E, at Outjo Namibia on 50 MHz at S9
plus. Last year VK and ZL stations worked each other on Es using
frequencies as high as 144 and 432 MHz. So beware and watch the 50 MHz
beacons!

**** The West Rand Amateur Radio Club has submitted a proposal to the
Council of the South African Radio League to host the 2017 National
Convention in the West Rand. The Council has accepted the proposal. The
Club is busy with negotiations for venues and will notify League
members of the dates early in the New Year.

The Council invites Clubs who would like to host the 2018 SARL National
Convention to submit a motion to the 2017 AGM with their proposal.

**** New committee for the SABC Amateur Radio Club ZS6RTV. At the
club's AGM held on the 2nd of November 2016, the following committee
members were chosen:

Chairman: Pieter ZS6PVW Vice Chairman: Yvonne ZR6TBL Secretary: Miemie
ZR6JL Treasurer: Lizette ZS6LZT Webmaster: Marianne ZS6ANA Social:
Magda ZS6MVW Technical/Repeater: Pieter ZS6PVW & Mark ZS6MAE Technical
Assistants: Magda ZS6MVW & Riaan ZS6BAR

The AGM was followed with a social gathering in the form of a bring&
braai. We thank the previous committee members for their hard work and
wish the new committee the best of luck.

PROPAGATION REPORT

Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the solar activity is expected to
be at low levels. No major solar flaring is expected.

If you want to do your own frequency predictions, the expected
effective sunspot number for the week will be less than 5.

The 15 to 20m bands will provide lots of DX fun.

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

DIARY OF EVENTS

11 Dec - Youth Net. 17 Dec - Bo Karoo Amateur radio club year end
function and AGM. 25 Feb 2017 West Rand Branch Flea market. 4 Mar 2017
Cape Town bumber flea market.

To end this bulletin a short summary of our main news item.

ICASA published the latest band plan over 230 pages in the latest 500
page Government Gazette. The regulatory committee meets with the ICASA
delegation on 14 Dec 2016 on reasonswhy amateur radio equipment should
be considered for exemption of type approval regulations.

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 Dick Stratford, ZS6RO, and read by ..............

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

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