SARL NEWS SUNDAY 06 OCTOBER 2013
You are listening to ZS6SRL, the official radio station of the South
African Radio League, the national body for amateur radio in South
Africa. The SARL broadcasts a news bulletin every Sunday at 08:15 CAT
in Afrikaans and at 08:30 CAT in English. To listen to a web stream,
visit www.sarl.org.za, click on 'Amateur Radio Today' and follow the
links for details. For audio via Echolink, connect to ZS0JPL-R.
You can download this bulletin and previous ones from www.sarl.org.za
and also subscribe there to receive future bulletins by e-mail.
Your newsreader this morning is (name and call sign), on 145,725 MHz
from Pretoria, with a relay on 7,066 MHz SSB. (Other news readers
change to suit).
IN THE NEWS TODAY
SARL SPONSORED EXPO FOR YOUNG SCIENTIST AWARD
RADIO AMATEUR EXAMINATION NUMBERS ON THE WEB
SARL@HOME ON 18 OCTOBER
You are listening to ZS6SRL. Stay tuned for more details on these and
other important and interesting items.
SARL SPONSORED EXPO FOR YOUNG SCIENTIST AWARD
SARL sponsored Expo for young scientist award was won by St John's
College Student Justin Boyce, a grade 11 learner at St John's College
in Johannesburg. Justin set out to predict future Solar Coronal Mass
Ejection activity by proving a correlation between the number of
Coronal Mass ejections and the sunspot cycle. His findings were that
CMEs and the sunspot cycle are both caused by intense activity in the
Sun's magnetic field and therefore strong correlations can be expected.
Predictions on the future of CMEs can be made using the repetitive
pattern of the solar sunspot cycle.
As part of the Hendrik van der Bijl Awards programme Justin was awarded
the South African Radio League Award, the SKA Award which includes a
visit to the SKA site and a bursary interview He received several other
awards including a silver medal and an opportunity to be interviewed to
represent South Africa at the International Science festival. He was
judged as the best entry in the Physics, Astronomy and Space Science
Category.
The SARL award is a cash prize of R5 000 and an ARRL Handbook. He will
be interviewed on Amateur Radio Today next Sunday.
RADIO AMATEUR EXAMINATION NUMBERS ON THE WEB
Examination numbers for the October 2013 RAE are published on the SARL
webpage www.sarl.org.za. Candidates will receive their letters via
email shortly. All information must be thoroughly checked. Any queries
must ONLY be directed to Gideon Jannasch, the RAE manager whose email
address is to ensure there are no misunderstandings or
delays. Note the SARL office does not handle RAE matters. Good luck to
all candidates, luck with their last preparations and success when they
write the examination on 17 October 2013 at 19:00 CAT.
SARL@HOME ON 18 OCTOBER
The next SARL@Home will be held at the National Amateur Radio Centre on
18 October 2013. The event will be a practical session on how to work
with surface mount components. The event will be supported with a CD
with the presentation, videos and details about the FM transmitter that
will be built during the session. The transmitter or FM bug is an ideal
gadget in the shack to retransmit audio from a receiver on a free FM
channel around the house. The cost for the event will be R200 for SARL
members and R300 for non-members including the CD and kit of parts.
Bookings will open on the SARL web next Thursday. Only 20 participants
can be accepted. Participants must bring their own soldering station
and magnifying glass. Magnifying glasses can be ordered as an extra .
Full details will be on the booking form.
HABEX GETS THE NOD FROM CAMU
Plans to launch an unmanned high altitude balloon on 30 November 2014
have received the approval of the Central Airspace Management Unit
(CAMU). Radio Amateurs are planning to launch radio equipment and do
experiments at a height of about 40 or more kilometres The launch will
take place from the Klerksdorp airport between 06:00 and 08:00 on
Saturday 30 November. This is a joint project of the Gauteng Department
of education and the South African Radio League aimed at getting young
people involved scientific activities as a precursor to following a
career in communication and electronics.
Chris Gryffenberg who is coordinating the project said that the mission
will carry an Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) which will allow
the monitoring of the balloon trajectory via the internet. Log onto
www.aprs.fi. For update on the activity visit www.amsatsa.org.za.
All radio Amateurs with an interest in the High Altitude Balloon
Experiment are invited to the next HABEX meeting on 22 October 2013.
The meeting starts at 19:00 at the 9th Benoni Scout Hall in Ebenezer
Road in Benoni.
For more information please contact OM Chris, ZS6COG, at
.
SOLAR ERUPTION HURLS CME INTO SPACE
On September 29th, a long magnetic filament in the sun's northern
hemisphere erupted producing what some observers are calling a
magnificent Coronal Mass Ejection. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory or
SoHo photographed the C-M-E leaving the sun at a speed of close to 2
million miles per hour. Although the event was not aimed at our planet,
it was expected to receive a glancing blow from the plasma cloud
beginning on or about October 3rd. Keep an eye on www. spaceweather.com
for the latest updates on this and other solar events that could impact
on radio communications here on planet Earth.
NIKOLA TESLA MONUMENT UNVEILED IN New York
The president of Serbia has travelled to the United States where he
recently unveiled the Nikola Tesla Monument at Tesla's former
laboratory in Long Island.
Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-born and later inventor, electrical
engineer, mechanical engineer, physicist, and futurist. He is perhaps
best known for his contributions to the design of the modern
alternating current electricity supply system. For decades the Tesla
Science Centre has been trying to set up a commemorative museum at the
site of Nikola Tesla's old laboratory. Now those behind the project and
who managed to raise over a million dollars in an internet crowd
funding campaign, can celebrate the fact that their goal is finally
starting to become a reality.
REPEATER SPACING AND DEVIATION IN THE TWO METRE BAND
Because of the restricted width of two metre band, repeater frequencies
have to be spaced 12,5 kHz apart. This spacing is in accordance with
IARU recommendations and has been in effect for several years, it is
not a new development.
The 12,5 kHz spacing doubles the number of channels that we had
available on the old 25 kHz spacing. The disadvantage is that, with the
closer spacing, repeater deviation has to be limited to prevent
interference with the adjacent channels.
In the planning and allocation of two metre repeater frequencies, the
allocation of adjacent channel frequencies to repeaters that are
geographically close together, is avoided as far as possible. However,
because of the crowding in the densely populated metropolitan areas,
some occasional overlapping of repeater coverage is inevitable.
The amateur service is self-policing. This means that we manage our own
affairs well enough that the authorities have no reason to exercise
control. Maintaining this status implies that we have to solve our own
interference problems.
Clubs and repeater custodians are requested to ensure that they comply
with the band plan. This means that the deviation of a repeater must be
so that its output signal does not spread into the adjacent channels.
Likewise, individual operators have to set their transmitters to a
deviation that prevents spreading into the input channel of repeaters
on adjacent channels.
Compliance with this requirement can be legally enforced only by ICASA.
Clubs can, however, contribute by pointing out cases of excessive
deviation and with providing measurements and help with adjustments.
Radio amateurs are reminded that failing to comply with these deviation
requirements is causing wilful interference, which can compel the
authorities to take disciplinary action - something we strenuously try
to avoid.
For more information on this matter, please contact the SARL's
councillor who is the VHF / UHF manager. He is Frik Wolff ZS6FZ and his
contact details are available on the web.
CLUB AFFILIATION AND MEMBERSHIP STATUS
It is made known that Boland Amateur Radio Club already affiliated with
the SARL during last September.
1 383 members have already renewed their membership for 2013-2014 with
the SARL.
Thank you very much for your continued support.
CQ HOU KOERS REQUESTS ASSISTANCE AT ORANJEVILLE
The CQ Hou Koers coordinators are looking for a Radio Amateur or
amateurs who are willing to assist the Voortrekkers on 19 October 2013
with the CQ Hou Koers by setting up a field station at the De Bank
Voortrekker terrain and to assist and facilitate the radio activities
during the CQ Hou Koers activities.
Amateurs interested to assist please contact Chris Smit at 082 557 7655
or Andries Visagie at 083 405 0736.
NEW COMMITTEE FOR MRK
At the recent AGM of the Magalies Radio Amateur Club the following
members were elected to the committee to lead MRK during teh 2013/2014
term of service:
Chairman Thys, ZS6MJM Vice Chairman Brian, ZS6YZ Secretary Irene
Myburgh Technical Sam, ZS6JZ Digital Hannes, ZS6JDE Bulletins Johann,
ZS6PSS Social Peet, ZS6PGN Teenspanning Pieter, ZS6BVT Finance Louis,
ZS6LWM P R Chris, ZS6FCS
POTCHEFSTROOM AMATEUR RADIO CLUB AGM
At the AGM of the Potchefstroom Amateur Radio Club held on 17 August
2013 the following members were elected to the committee for 2013/2014:
Chairman: Stef Terblanche, ZS6AOK Vice Chairman: Joe Mayer, ZS6ANW
Treasurer: Chris Viljoen, ZS6BYQ Secretary: André Geldenhius, ZR6GAA
Technical; Stef Terblanche, ZS6AOK & Gawie Genis ZS6GWD Social:
Annetjie Terblanche, ZR6BYG
Many thanks to the retiring committee members of the two clubs and
strength to the new committees for what lies ahead.
ANTIQUE WIRELESS ASSOCIATION AM/SSB VALVE QSO PARTY
This is a phone contest held over 2 sessions on Saturday 12 and Sunday
13 October 2013.
Both sessions take place only in the 40 and 80 m bands; the AM session
on Saturday the 12th between 15:00 and 19:00 CAT and the SSB-sessie on
Sunday the 13th between 15:00 and 19:00 CAT.
Frequencies to use are 7,053 to 7,100 MHz and 3,603 to 3,650 MHz.
Exchange - Call sign, RS and consecutive serial numbers starting at
001, plus type of radio used, eg HT37 Tx.
Points scoring: All valve radio - 3 points per contact; Hybrid (valve &
solid state) - 2 points per contact; Solid State Radio - 1 point per
contact. Multiplier - All valve radio - 3 points per contact; Hybrid
(valve & solid state) - 2 points per contact; Solid State Radio - 1
point per contact.
Certificates will be awarded to the first three places in each
category.(AM/SSB)
All logs to be submitted to: Southern African Antique Wireless
Association, PO Box 12320, Benoryn,1504. E-mail:
andyzs6ady[at]vodamail[dot]co[dot]za. Closing date for log submissions:
31 October 2013. Please refer to the SARL Contest Manual for any
queries.
SARL News invites clubs and individuals to submit news items of
interest to radio amateurs and short-wave listeners. Submit news items
- if possible in both English and Afrikaans to
www.sarl.org.za/newsinbox.asp, not later than the Thursday preceding
the bulletin date.
PROPAGATION REPORT
Hannes Coetzee, ZS6BZP, reports that the expected solar activity will
stay at low levels. Some low level C class flares are occurring around
Sunspot 1 856 while all other regions remain stable.
If you want to do your own frequency predictions, the expected
effective sunspot number for the week will be around 40.
All the bands from 20 to 10 m will provide lots of DX fun with 20 m
providing the best openings with 15 m not far behind.
Please visit the new website h t t p://spaceweather.sansa.org.za for
further information.
DIARY OF EVENTS 12 October - Antique Wireless Association AM valve QSO
party 15:00 to 19:00 CAT. 13 October - Antique Wireless Association SSB
valve QSO party 15:00 to 19:00 CAT. 17 October - Radio Amateur
Examination. 18 October - SARL@Home at the National Amateur Radio
Centre. 19 October - CQ Hou Koers. 22 October - High Altitude Balloon
Experiment at 19:00 at the 9th Benoni Scout Hall, Ebenezer Road,
Benoni. 30 November - High Altitude Balloon launch from Klerksdorp
airport between 06:00 and 08:00.
31 October - Log sheets for Antique Wireless Association valve QSO
party to be in. 31 December - Last day to submit amateur radio video;
get details from www.amateurradio.org.za.
The SARL invites you to listen to Amateur Radio Today every Sunday
morning at 10:00 CAT on 145,750 MHz in the Pretoria area, with relays
on 7 082, 7 205, and 17 660 kHz. There is also a podcast by ZS6RO. For
a web-stream and Echolink by ZS6FCS, visit www.sarl.org.za, click on
'Amateur Radio Today', go down the green column and click on 'LISTEN ON
THE WEB'. A repeat transmission can be heard on Mondays at 16:30 UTC on
3 230 kHz. The website also lists various other retransmissions.
Reception reports, comments and suggestions are invited. Send an email
to . Sentech sponsors the transmissions on the
non-amateur frequencies.
You have listened to a bulletin of the South African Radio League
compiled and edited by George Honiball, ZS6NE.
Thank you for listening, 73.
/EX
======================= Message Ends ======================= To edit or
remove your entry from this mailing list go to
www.sarl.org.za/members/admin/maildat.asp