• SA Radio League News Bulletin for Sunday 28 January 2001

    From Richard Peer@5:7106/22 to SA Radio League on Sat Jan 27 15:13:00 2001
    SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO LEAGUE
    SARL NEWS SUNDAY JANUARY 28 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.

    SILENT KEY

    Council regrets to announce the passing away of: Cobie van Rhyn, ZR6JCC of
    the Coalfields Radio Club in Witbank / Middelburg. He passed away in the
    age of 55 years on Friday, the 19th of January 2001. He was very active in club activities. Cobie leaves behind his wife, son and two daughters. We offer our sincere condolences to the family and friends.

    PAUSE

    Here are the headlines of today's news:

    AMATEUR RADIO NOT AN ISSUE AT TELECOM POLICY FRAMEWORK COLLOQUIUM

    SARL AGM 2001 TO BE HELD IN THE FAIREST CAPE

    TELKOM INTECHNET 2001 TONIGHT ON THE AIR.

    HAMNET NEWS: ANNOUNCEMENT OF NEW ACTIVITIES

    MAY 2001 RAE EXAMINATION INFORMATION

    NATIONAL WAR MUSEUM OPEN DAY

    PROPAGATION FORECAST

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

    AMATEUR RADIO NOT AN ISSUE AT TELECOM POLICY FRAMEWORK COLLOQUIUM

    Amateur Radio will at this stage not be on the agenda at the Department of Communication Telecommunication Policy Framework colloquium to be held next weekend. While undoubtedly frequency spectrum will be a subject, the colloquium will hear proposals for a telecommunications framework policy
    which government will use to change or re-write the Telecommunications act
    of 1996. Once a framework has been agreed ICASA will become involved to prepare regulations. It is at that stage that the SARL will have to become involved to ensure that Amateur Radio is not jeopardised.

    At the 2000 AGM a proposal was accepted to form a Strategic Public Relations Committee which would proactively look at all initiative that could impact
    on Amateur Radio. This committee has not started its work because clubs,
    while all having supported the formation of the SPRC, have not nominated a representative to service on the committee. The minimum requirement is to
    have at least one representative from each province on the committee in
    order to ensure that all activity is monitored and information gather acted upon by the SARL.

    This is an urgent appeal to clubs in each province of South Africa to get together and a appoint a SPRC committee member. The task of committee
    members will be to liaise with Provincial government and to attend regular teleconferences where action plans are formulated and reports discussed.

    Nominations for the SPRC should be mailed to sprc@intekom.co.za.

    SARL AGM 2001 TO BE HELD IN THE FAIREST CAPE

    The SARL Annual General meeting will be held in the Western Cape and hosted
    by the five Radio Clubs in the province. Council accepted an invitation
    from the 5 clubs. The AGM will be held on April 27 and 28. Full details
    will be announced in the next few weeks.

    TELKOM INTECHNET 2001 TONIGHT ON THE AIR.

    The first SARL Intecnet for 2001 tonight features MFSK, one of the latest developments in Amateur Radio. MFSK is often also referred to as super
    RTTY. The mode consists of 16 tones, sent one at a time at 15,25 baud and spaced 15,625 hertz apart. Each tone represents four binary data bits. The transmission is only 316 hertz wide and can easily be accommodated on a HF transceiver with a CW filter. Join our guest from New Zealand Murray
    Greenman for an indepth discussion on this HF mode and learn how you can use this mode with virtually no financial outlay.

    Intecnet 2001 will be on the air TONIGHT AT 20:00 SAST. Listen on the VHF repeaters in your are and participate in the discussion on this very interesting topic.

    HAMNET NEWS: NEW ACTIVITIES

    Francois Botha, ZS6BUU, of HAMNET informed SARL NEWS that HAMNET news
    bulletins are back on the air. There will be one official news bulletin on
    the first Sunday of every month and will also be available on the SARL
    website. The bulletin will be transmitted at 09H10 SAST on 7070, 10130 kHz
    on 145,750 MHz in the Pretoria area. It will be repeated during the Gauteng North get together at 18:00 on the Pretoria Hamnet frequency , 145,725 MHz
    with a relay on 7070 kHz.

    An informal get together takes place every Sunday from 17:20 on 10130 kHz so that Hamnet members from around the country can share ideas and discuss experiences they may have had.

    On Sundays when no official bulletins are transmitted, the same informal network applies at 09:10 on 7070 and relayed on 10130 kHz and 145.750 MHz.

    The weather watch reporting system is to be reinstated on 7070 kHz so that weather conditions country wide can be noted, especially during rainy
    seasons and adverse weather conditions around the coastline. It will be handled daily by Martin ZS5VO/6 at 07:00 as from 1 February.

    MAY 2001 RAE EXAMINATION INFORMATION

    The Chief Examiner for the SARL RAE, Rassie, ZS1YT, informed SARL NEWS that
    the next Radio Amateur Examination will be conducted on 10 May 2001 at 19:00 SAST. Entries for this examination close on 10 April 2001. The entry fee
    is R100-00 and late entries will be accepted till 17 April at a fee of
    R200-00. Any entries received after 17 April wil be deferred to the
    November examination.

    Entry forms are available on the SARL website at www.sarl.org.za or by fax
    from the NARC at 011 675-2393. The syllabus and examples of RAE questions
    can be found on the SARL website. Clubs are requested to register their examination centres with Rassie soonest at rassie@ctech.ac.za

    The Alberton Amateur Radio Club's RAE registration for the course will be on Tuesday 6 February 2001 19:30 at the Clubhouse in Gerrit Maritz street
    Alberton - a route map is available and for more details contact Michiel
    ZS6MDK 083 212 5711.

    NATIONAL WAR MUSEUM OPEN DAY

    The National War Museum in Johannesburg holds an open day on 10 February
    2001. An amateur radio station will be on the air on all bands as well as
    VHF and UHF. The station will operate under the call sign ZS6NOM and
    invites all amateurs to make contact with them. The activities starts approximately at 09:00 SAST.

    PROPAGATION CONDITIONS

    Ean Retief, ZS1PR reports as follows on propagation conditions:

    Not with standing all expectations the solar flux just will not increase.
    It is now quite clear that the peak of the present 11 year cycle has been passed. The past few months the solar flux decreased more than what it increased.

    The only event lately was 'n bright M1-class solar flare which occurred just after 08:00 SAST on Friday. The earth's magnetic field was still unsettled yesterday with the maximum useable frequencies about 10 to 15 percent lower than normal.

    Not many surprises are expected during the coming week. It appears that for most of the week the solar flux will remain at the level of 165. On the positive side it appears that the earth's magnetic field will be quiet to unsettled for the whole week. Tonight it should be exceptionally quiet and will be a fine opportunity to operate on 80 and 160 metres especially if you
    do not have high power available.

    With the lower solar flux and quiet geomagnetic conditions, good propagation will exist in the late evening. It is expected that in the evenings at
    23:00 SAST good propagation on the 40 metre band to the far east will
    prevail. Simultaneously the 20 metre band should be open to the North and South Americas.

    CLUB ACTIVITIES

    The website of the Alberton Radio Amateur club is now fully updated and operational. New features on the site are:

    Photo Album
    SMS Service
    DX Telnet
    Calendar

    Please feel free to visit the site www.hometown.aol.com/zs6tdk. Your
    comments and suggestions will be much appreciated.

    SARL NEWS invites other clubs to inform us of your websites so that it can published in the bulletin. Our overseas and local readers of the SARL bulletins will then be able to visit the various club's websites. Remember
    the SARL website where unbelievable interesting information can be obtained
    is: www.sarl.org.za.

    A 23cm experimental beacon is 24 hours on the air from the QTH of Ivo ZS6AXT
    on 1296,150 MHz. The radiated power is approximately 220 W EIRP and the antenna directed to Durban. Please contact him locally on 144,500 MHz and
    for DX at 011-664-7883 or Email zs6axt@global.co.za.

    SAATI's monthly meeting will be held on 29 January at 19:30 for 20:00 in the Lyttelton library in Cantonments Rd. All are welcome and come and listen to the interesting aspects of digital amateur radio communication. Tasty refreshments will be served.


    EVENTS AND DATES TO REMEMBER

    Intechnet 2001 on the air tonight at 20:00 SAST. Listen on the VHF
    repeaters in your area and come and participate in the discussions on MFSK

    Nominations for Councillors 31 January;

    Motions for AGM 31 January;

    Tinus Lange awards 15 February;

    SARL awards 20 February.

    The SARL News Service invites Clubs and individuals to contribute
    information regarding Amateur Radio to sarlnuus@mweb.co.za with a copy to gth@mweb.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 is repeated
    Mondays at 20:00 on 3215 kHz. Relays on various 2M repeaters can also be heard.

    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.

    These transmissions are sponsored by Sentech, the common carrier for broadcasting signals in South Africa and Telkom who provides the
    transmission lines. Various local repeater frequencies on 2 metres and 70
    cm are also used in your area.

    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 Marten, ZS6ZY, and read by ZS.... in.......

    You have been listening to ZS6SRL.

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

    Goodbye to all.

    /ex
    --------------------------------------------------
    Internet feed from ZS6ZY moved by Richard de ZR6CK

    Regards,
    Richard.

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