A look at the SARL's 2007 events

Now that we're just about into 2007, let's take a look ahead to some of the events the South African Radio League has in store for the new year.

The AGM is a major event. It will be held on 14 April 2007 at the National Amateur Radio Centre in Gauteng. There are a number of interesting items for discussion on the agenda. Details will be published in the AGM booklet, which will be available towards the end of February.

Close on the heels of the AGM is the Radio Technology in Action programme which kicks off in Durban on 21 April.

The opening plenary will feature Tony Voorvel, ZS6CCD, with a lecture and demonstration entitled "The crown of cups". The year 2000 was the commemoration of the bicentenary of the invention of the battery by the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta. On 20 March 1800, in a letter to Sir Joseph Banks, President of the Royal Institution in London, Volta announced the invention of what he called his "Voltaic Pile." This early invention of Volta's and the subsequent evolution of various types of batteries throughout the 19th century has made possible the technological advances one has taken for granted throughout the 20th century. Tony's lecture will be well demonstrated with various experiments of the time.

In the second plenary session Dr Lee-Anne McKinnell, ZS2LAW, of the Space Physics Group, Hermanus Magnetic Observatory, will deliver a paper on "Research in ionospheric radio propagation".

The Hermanus Magnetic Observatory (HMO) has an active ionospheric research group who plays an important role in modelling the behaviour of the ionosphere for the purposes of HF radio propagation. HMO also manages the South African Ionospheric Data Centre where data from the SA ionosonde network is collected and quality controlled. 2007 promises to be an exciting year for SA ionospheric research, with an extension to the ionosonde network planned as well as the implementation of a regional warning centre for Space Weather in Africa. This presentation will focus on a review of the available ionospheric resources, the techniques used for modelling the ionosphere and the implications that this has for the prediction of HF propagation conditions in the future.

The third plenary will be a discussion by Dr Gert-Jan van Rooyen of the University of Stellenbosch. He will talk about Cognitive Radio, an emerging technology that may make more intelligent use of the available radio spectrum. Almost all radios today are passively operated in a certain mode, in a certain band, at a certain signal strength, and must be actively adjusted by an operator in order to change how it communicates. With the advent of software-defined radio (SDR) it becomes possible for radios to actively control their own communications parameters. Imagine, for example, a radio that takes cognisance of quiet channels and received signal strength, in order to automatically renegotiate the best band, mode and power level with a remote station.

For the younger generation there will be a hands-on satellite session introducing Cricket Sat, a small satellite payload that will be launched on a blimp. The session will include a presentation on Sumbandila Sat.

Watch www.sarl.org.za from mid January for regular updates on the RTA. In the interim, make a note of the dates on which the RTA comes to your area. KZN 21 April, Eastern Cape 19 May, Western Cape 2 June, Free State 21 July and Gauteng 18 August.

If you have an interesting experience you would like to share with fellow radio amateurs and electronic enthusiasts, drop a mail to armi@sarl.org.za for possible inclusion of your presentation in the programme for your area.

Source: The South African Radio League

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