SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE
SARL NEWS SUNDAY APRIL 22 2001

This is Amateur Radio Station ZS6SRL transmitting Amateur Radio News, a
service by the South African Radio League, the National society for Amateur Radio in South Africa, for the interest of all Radio Amateurs, Short-wave Listeners and Electronic Enthusiasts. For a complete list of broadcast times and frequencies please send a SASE to Amateur Radio News, SARL, P O Box 1721, Strubensvallei 1735.

This bulletin is also available on the SARL's web pages hosted by Intekom at www.sarl.org.za, as well as the packet radio bulletin board system. You may also request sarlnuus@mweb.co.za to e-mail it to you in either text or MSWord 6.0 format.

Here are the headlines of today's news:

SARL NEWS ON APRIL 29

SARL MULTISOURCE-ICOM CONVENTION 2001

AMATEUR RADIO SCHOOL EVENT MOVED TO 17 MAY

EUROPE ADOPTS 5WPM MORSE CODE STANDARD

TOTAL RALLY

NEXT INTECHNET DETAILS

PROPAGATION REPORT

You are listening to ZS6SRL. The news follows in detail.

SARL NEWS ON APRIL 29

In order to include upto-date news on the happenings and decisions taken
during the Multisource-Icom SARL Convention next weekend, next Sunday's bulletin will only be distributed late Saturday evening to subscribers.

SARL MULTISOURCE-ICOM CONVENTION 2001

A last reminder that the convention will take place next weekend in Cape Town and features a welcoming braai on Friday evening with the AGM taking place on Saturday morning followed by various forums in the afternoon and the annual dinner on Saturday evening. Booking for the braai and dinner is essential.

The closing date for bookings as previously announced and as indicated on the booking form was already the 20th April. The caterers however postponed it
to Tuesday April 24 at 13:00.

Please book immediately by completing the form, depositing the amount in the bank account and faxing the form and deposit slip to 021 948 0186.

Banking details are: Boland Amateur Radio Club, ABSA Account No 420 720 955
and branch code 334 312.

The full programme is available on the SARL web at www.sarl.org.za. To
receive a fax copy of the programme, send a request to the National Amateur Radio Centre at 011 675-2793.

SARL Members who can not attend the AGM are requested to nominate a proxy by sending an Email or fax before 16:00 on Wednesday 25 April to the SARL at the National Amateur Radio Centre stating for example ô I appoint the SARL President to represent me at the AGM. Members may appoint any other member
who is attending the AGM as their proxy.

The Email address is sarl@intekom.co.za and the fax number 011 675 2793.

Proxies will also be accepted between 08:00 and 09:00 on Saturday 28 April.

AMATEUR RADIO SCHOOL EVENT MOVED TO 17 MAY

The SARL school event has been moved to 17 May, World Telecommunication Day.
A number of schools in rural areas are preparing to take part which poses a challenge to engage radio amateurs to set up stations at these schools. As most schools only return from their Easter holidays on World Amateur Radio
Day. April 18, the date provides too many logistical problems.

Radio Amateurs are required for the following schools:

High School
Province(loc)
Letebele
Marishane
High
Northern
Province - Nebo
William
Prescod High
Northern Cape
Kimberley
Moletsane
High
Gauteng -
`Soweto
Nottingham
Road High
KwaZulu-Natal
Nottingham Road
Thlabane
High
Technical
North West
Province
Rustenburg

The following Radio Amateurs have taken their own initiative to set up stations:

Willie Axford ZS5WI Eshowe High
Lucas Swart. ZS6ACT Hoδrskool Oosterland Secunda
Henry Rood ZR6IIX Protea Primary School

This event will be the first in a series of YARIA û Youth for Amateur Radio
in Africa. More details about YARIA will be released soon.

If you can assist in to taking Amateur Radio in to a local school on May 17, please send mail to arisas@intekom.co.za or fax your details to 012 991 5651.

HAMNET NEWS

The cut-off date for those who wish to remain members of Hamnet is 30 April 2001. The e-mail address for those who wish to respond is francois@overflow.co.za or if you wish to respond by fax to is 011 475-5946. This is a 24 hour number.

We again ask all Hamnet members to please monitor our emergency frequencies, especially in the 40 metre band on 7,070 MHz over the weekend of 27 April to
1 May and to act on emergency calls.

EUROPE ADOPTS 5WPM MORSE CODE STANDARD

The CEPT (Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations) has effectively lowered the amateur licence Morse code test speed to 5 words per minute for all European countries.

WIA Victoria President, and author of "Morse code watch", Jim Linton VK3PC, reports that the European Radio Commmitee has revised the CEPT Harmonised Amateur Radio Examination Certificate (HAREC) regulation.

In revising what is known as the CEPT Recommendation T/R 61-02, it has in effect recommended to 44 European countries to adopt the 5 words per minute standard.

Jim VK3PC who has been closely following global developments on Morse code amateur licence trends, said the revision of HAREC comes after the decisions
of a number of European countries that have already adopted the 5 words per minute standard for access to all amateur bands, using all modes.

Non-CEPT countries who have had their domestic amateur licences endorsed as meeting the HAREC standard, include Australia, Canada, Israel, Netherlands Antilles, New Zealand, Peru, Puerto Rico, South Africa and the United States.

Most of those Non-CEPT HAREC countries have already or are about to lower
their amateur licence code speed tests.

In adopting the 5-words per minute standard, most countries acknowledge that the mandatory Morse code amateur licence requirement is unlikely to remain
when ITU Radio Regulations governing the Amateur Service are reviewed at the World Radio Conference in 2003.

More information can be read on "Morse code watch" www.wiavic.org.au/mcw.


MAY RAE

The SARL RAE examiner informed us that 140 candidates enrolled for the May examination which takes place on Thursday May 10 at 19:00.

There are 16 examination centres throughout South Africa.

Examination numbers had been mailed on Friday to all candidates. The list
with examination numbers is also available on the SARL website
www.sarl.org.za.

Candidates who by May 2 have not yet received their examination numbers, must immediately notify the examiner at 021-460 3640. It will thus be ensured
that your correct address appears on the postal article. Remember the
official result will also be mailed to that address.

AMATEURS AND THE TOTAL RALLY, 26 - 28 APRIL

This years Total Rally, the second round in the national as well as the
Africa Championships under the direction of Diether Kok, Clerk of the Course, and his committee will kick off at 16:30 on Thursday 26 April in Midrand and end at Ermelo on Saturday afternoon.

The communication services for the safety and control of the rally will be provided by 12 field stations, 10 mobiles and 2 control stations mostly amateurs from the Pretoria Amateur Radio Club. Extensive use of the clubÆs fixed 14 in verband met die gebeurtenis.nd various HF frequencies will be put to good use.

We thank and congratulate the Pretoria Amateur Radio Club on the excellent service they once again will render to the organisers, competitors,
spectators and all others in connection with this event.

This is always an excellent opportunity for the participating amateurs to sharpen their operating skills and preparedness for any type of emergency.
Well done PARC!

NEXT INTECNET TO DISCUSS INTERNET REPEATER LINKING

The date for the next SARL INTECNET 2001 has been finalised. It will take place on 27 May 2001 when Ian Abel G3ZHI will talk about linking repeaters
via the Internet. The programme will start at 20:00 CAT and be relayed by Sentech on 3215 kHz in the 90 metreband.

Clubs wishing to link their repeaters to the network should send an email or fax giving details of the frequency on which they will be interactive and the telephone number which should be linked to the Telkom conference bridge. Cellphones and prepaid phones can for technical reasons not be linked. Send the linking request to armi@intekom.co.za or fax to 012 991 5651 before May
20.

SAATI APRIL MEETING CANCELLED

SAATI wishes to announce that the April meeting is cancelled due to the holidays and alternative venues being unavailable on other days.

PROPAGATION REPORT

Ean Retief, ZS1PR, reports as follows:

At last it seems that the active and stormy conditions of the last three
weeks are more or less over and that we can expect a bit of peace and quiet.

Today looks quite good with the solar flux that should rise to 175 by
tonight, while the geomagnetic field should be fairly quiet.

Die solar flux should continue it's rise and exceed the 200 value by next weekend.

Sunspot group number 9393 that gave us the huge solar flare made a re-appearance on Friday. It is much more intact after it's journey around
the back of the sun than many experts expected and should help to increase
the solar flux. By next weekend this group should be in-line with the earth and the solar flux may reach a value of 230. A large solar flare or two may
be quite possible!

On the 10 metre band good contacts with low power should be possible, while
the band should also remain useful till after 20:00 in the evenings.

At last it seems that the active and stormy conditions of the last three
weeks are more or less over and that we can expect a bit of peace and quiet.

Today looks quite good with the solar flux that should rise to 175 by
tonight, while the geomagnetic field should be fairly quiet.

Die solar flux should continue it's rise and exceed the 200 value by next weekend.

Sunspot group number 9393 that gave us the huge solar flare made a re-appearance on Friday. It is much more intact after it's journey around
the back of the sun than many experts expected and should help to increase
the solar flux. By next weekend this group should be in-line with the earth and the solar flux may reach a value of 230. A large solar flare or two may
be quite possible!

On the 10 metre band good contacts with low power should be possible, while
the band should also remain useful till after 20:00 in the evenings.

INTERESTING LISTENING

On 30 April SAFM will be broadcasting an interview with Brian Austin ZS6BKW / G0GSF about a biography he wrote on Sir Basil Schonland, one of South
Africa's most well known and respected scientists and soldiers. The
interview will air at 12:30.

Today SAFM will be featuring World Amateur Radio Day in their Media programme on the air every Sunday morning. The Amateur Radio feature will air at approximately 10:30 today when SAFM will be talking to Hans van de
Groenendaal ZS6AKV in Muscat, the capital of Oman where he is attending the annual IARU Region 1 Executive Committee meeting.

ACTIVITIES TO PARTICIPATE IN

The SARL AGM next weekend 27/28 April in Belville, Western Cape.

A BACAR flight will take place on May 19 with a mode J transponder, telemetry and recovery beacons and an APRS transmitter on board. The uplink will be on 70 cm and the downlink on 2 m.

The SARL News Service invites Clubs and individuals to contribute information regarding Amateur Radio to sarlnuus@mweb.co.za with a copy to gth@freemail.absa.co.za. Please submit in Afrikaans and English wherever possible.

Also join us in the following activities:

The President's Net on Sundays 12:00 on 7082 kHz.

Amateur Radio Mirror International Sundays at 10:00 on 9750 and 21560 kHz
which are sponsored by Sentech, the common carrier for broadcasting signals
in South Africa and Telkom who provides the transmission lines. Relays on various 2m repeaters can also be heard. This transmission is repeated
Mondays at 20:00 on 3215 kHz.

Correspondence for Amateur Radio Mirror International is via armi@intekom.co.za. Include your telephone number to allow the producers to call you for a possible interview.

Send written reports to PO Box 90438 Garsfontein 0042 and include a self-addressed envelope and sufficient postage so that you may receive a QSL card.

We thank all contributors, individuals, clubs and other organisations to this bulletin and all stations who so reliably relay these bulletins. This
bulletin was compiled by George, ZS6NE, and read by ZSàààà.

You have been listening to ZS6SRL.

This bulletin now ends and Sarlnews wish you a pleasant week.

Goodbye to all.

/ex
--------------------------------------------------
Internet feed from ZS6NE moved by Richard de ZR6CK

Regards,
Richard.

--- Msged/Q 1.60
* Origin: QTHR KG44DG, Novell User Group, Pretoria, RSA (5:7106/22)