South African Radio League
Encyclopedia
The South African Radio League (SARL), formerly known as the South African Radio Relay League (SARRL), is a non-profit organization
representing the interests of amateur radio
enthusiasts in South Africa
. The SARL advocates on behalf of its membership and all licensed amateur radio operator
s in South Africa as the representative of amateur radio to the South African government
. This has included the promotion of deregulation
and simplification of the amateur radio service, and expansion of the number of amateur radio operators in Southern Africa
. The SARL publicizes and promotes the role of amateur radio in society
, and promotes the use of amateur radio in school
s as an entry point into the fields of science
and technology
. SARL publishes a magazine
called Radio ZS
six times a year. SARL is the national member society representing South Africa in the International Amateur Radio Union
.
. At the outset, membership was limited to licenced radio experimenters capable of two-way telegraphic
communication by radio. Temporary headquarters
for the organization were established at Johannesburg
. The first president to be elected was Joseph White
, who had earlier been the chairman
of the Transvaal
Radio Society.
A detailed history of the first two years of the SARRL is hard to trace because there was no regular publication of any sort. The first effort in this direction was made some time during 1927, when a fortnight
ly news sheet appeared under the name "F.O. News." This publication continued for about a year, but no surviving copies exist in SARL records. "QTC" was the first printed magazine
issued by the organisation. The first issue was published in May, 1928. The editor was R. S. Perry, A9Z and the magazine was printed in Durban
.
communication
s, computer science and radio science generally. The role of the SARL is to protect amateur radio frequency allocations
, to promote international goodwill and understanding. The SARL also promote recognition for amateur radio in all spheres of society in South Africa. HAMNET is a division of the SARL that provide emergency communications
in times of disaster by means of amateur radio.
or any other meetings of the League. Clubs and special interest groups can become affiliated with the SARL but also do not have a vote, only individual full members do.
s. The SARL offers South African hams an online QSL
system to capture and confirm local contacts with fellow radio amateurs. The organisation offers frequent amateur radio licence examination opportunities for people interested in obtaining their amateur radio licence. The SARL encourages the full range of amateur radio service activities and facilitates reciprocal and guest licensing
.
s, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa
(ICASA). The SARL also gives members the advantage of collective representation and control in all matters affecting amateur radio. The SARL promotes and negotiates a legal and regulatory environment that acknowledges and permits the Amateur Radio Service. The SARL also advocates for access to all amateur radio bands allocated by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) radio regulations.
(HMO). The project is to study radio propagation in the 40-m band in the ionosphere.
The project entails a number of 40 milliwatt beacon transmitters at a frequency of 7.023 MHz being operated by amateurs across the country. Propagation data from these beacons is then analysed by scientists at the HMO to reveal details about the structure and behaviour of the ionosphere.
Reception data is collected from reports by other amateurs all over the country. A further educational component of the project is participation by schools.
School children equipped with sponsored simple receivers developed by the SARL, also participate in the project and send reception reports to the HMO. The receivers, supplied in kit form, provide a further educational opportunity as the children will assemble and install them with assistance from local amateur radio clubs. A fun element of the project for the learners is when schools compete to be the first to decode the “secret messages” that some of the beacons transmit.
According to Dr Lee-Anne McKinnell, the HMO Space Physics Group manager, “This project is truly a collaborative project. It will benefit the scientists, the hobbyists, and the schools.”
The project stalled soon after launch due to problems co-ordinating the timing of the transmitters.
projects; SUNSAT
in collaboration with Stellenbosch University
's department of electronic engineering
and Sumbandila which is a SunSpace project.
SA AMSAT started a Cubesat
programme during 2011.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
representing the interests of amateur radio
Amateur radio
Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...
enthusiasts in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. The SARL advocates on behalf of its membership and all licensed amateur radio operator
Amateur radio operator
An amateur radio operator is an individual who typically uses equipment at an amateur radio station to engage in two-way personal communications with other similar individuals on radio frequencies assigned to the amateur radio service. Amateur radio operators have been granted an amateur radio...
s in South Africa as the representative of amateur radio to the South African government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
. This has included the promotion of deregulation
Deregulation
Deregulation is the removal or simplification of government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces.Deregulation is the removal or simplification of government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces.Deregulation is the removal or...
and simplification of the amateur radio service, and expansion of the number of amateur radio operators in Southern Africa
Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. Within the region are numerous territories, including the Republic of South Africa ; nowadays, the simpler term South Africa is generally reserved for the country in English.-UN...
. The SARL publicizes and promotes the role of amateur radio in society
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
, and promotes the use of amateur radio in school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
s as an entry point into the fields of science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
. SARL publishes a magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
called Radio ZS
Radio ZS
Radio ZS is a magazine for amateur radio enthusiasts, published by the South African Radio League . It is a membership journal that is included in membership with the SARL. The magazine is currently published six times a year: at the end of January, March, May, July, September, and November...
six times a year. SARL is the national member society representing South Africa in the International Amateur Radio Union
International Amateur Radio Union
The International Amateur Radio Union is an international confederation of national amateur radio organisations that allows a forum for common matters of concern and collectively represents matters to the International Telecommunication Union...
.
History
The South African Radio Relay League (SARRL) was formed in 1925 through the efforts of a number of regional and local radio societies and clubs, some of which were established around the time of the First World WarWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. At the outset, membership was limited to licenced radio experimenters capable of two-way telegraphic
Telegraphy
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages via some form of signalling technology. Telegraphy requires messages to be converted to a code which is known to both sender and receiver...
communication by radio. Temporary headquarters
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
for the organization were established at Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
. The first president to be elected was Joseph White
Joseph White
Joseph White may refer to:*Joseph White , American Civil War sailor* Joseph White , 'Godfather' of Black Psychology and Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of California, Irvine...
, who had earlier been the chairman
Chair (official)
The chairman is the highest officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office is typically elected or appointed by the members of the group. The chairman presides over meetings of the assembled group and conducts its business in an...
of the Transvaal
Transvaal Province
Transvaal Province was a province of the Union of South Africa from 1910 to 1961, and of its successor, the Republic of South Africa, from 1961 until the end of apartheid in 1994 when a new constitution subdivided it.-History:...
Radio Society.
A detailed history of the first two years of the SARRL is hard to trace because there was no regular publication of any sort. The first effort in this direction was made some time during 1927, when a fortnight
Fortnight
The fortnight is a unit of time equal to fourteen days, or two weeks. The word derives from the Old English fēowertyne niht, meaning "fourteen nights"....
ly news sheet appeared under the name "F.O. News." This publication continued for about a year, but no surviving copies exist in SARL records. "QTC" was the first printed magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
issued by the organisation. The first issue was published in May, 1928. The editor was R. S. Perry, A9Z and the magazine was printed in Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
.
Purpose
The objective of the SARL is to encourage, develop and promote all activities connected with Amateur Radio, wirelessWireless
Wireless telecommunications is the transfer of information between two or more points that are not physically connected. Distances can be short, such as a few meters for television remote control, or as far as thousands or even millions of kilometers for deep-space radio communications...
communication
Telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
s, computer science and radio science generally. The role of the SARL is to protect amateur radio frequency allocations
Amateur radio frequency allocations
Amateur radio frequency allocation is done by national telecommunications authorities. Globally, the International Telecommunication Union oversees how much radio spectrum is set aside for amateur radio transmissions...
, to promote international goodwill and understanding. The SARL also promote recognition for amateur radio in all spheres of society in South Africa. HAMNET is a division of the SARL that provide emergency communications
Amateur radio emergency communications
In times of crisis and natural disasters, amateur radio is often used as a means of emergency communication when wireline, cell phones and other conventional means of communications fail....
in times of disaster by means of amateur radio.
Membership
Membership of the SARL is open to any person interested in amateur radio. Citizenship of, or residence in, South Africa is not a requirement. Unlicenced members are called "Listeners" and do not have a vote at the Annual General MeetingAnnual general meeting
An annual general meeting is a meeting that official bodies, and associations involving the public , are often required by law to hold...
or any other meetings of the League. Clubs and special interest groups can become affiliated with the SARL but also do not have a vote, only individual full members do.
Services to members
The SARL web site provides an online marketplace for members to trade radio and related equipment. Members also have access to a database of assigned South African radio amateur call signCall sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
s. The SARL offers South African hams an online QSL
QSL
QSL is one of the Q codes used in radiocommunication and radio broadcasting. A Q code message can stand for a statement or a question . In this case, QSL? means "do you confirm receipt of my transmission?" while QSL means "I confirm receipt of your transmission". Some also take it to mean "Query...
system to capture and confirm local contacts with fellow radio amateurs. The organisation offers frequent amateur radio licence examination opportunities for people interested in obtaining their amateur radio licence. The SARL encourages the full range of amateur radio service activities and facilitates reciprocal and guest licensing
Amateur radio international operation
Amateur radio international reciprocal operating agreements permit Amateur Radio Operators from one country to operate a station whilst traveling in another without the need to obtain additional licenses or permits....
.
Regulatory advocacy
The SARL provides members with a channel for negotiation with the South African regulatory authority for telecommunicationTelecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
s, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa
Independent Communications Authority of South Africa
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa is an independent regulatory body of the South African government, established in 2000 by the to regulate both the telecommunications and broadcasting sectors in the public interest....
(ICASA). The SARL also gives members the advantage of collective representation and control in all matters affecting amateur radio. The SARL promotes and negotiates a legal and regulatory environment that acknowledges and permits the Amateur Radio Service. The SARL also advocates for access to all amateur radio bands allocated by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) radio regulations.
Scientific and educational collaboration with other organisations
The League participates in an ionospheric research project led by the Hermanus Magnetic ObservatoryHermanus Magnetic Observatory
SANSA Space Science, previously the Hermanus Magnetic Observatory is South Africa's national geomagnetic research facility. The observatory is situated in the town of Hermanus in the Western Cape Province and forms part of the South African National Space Agency.The observatory is an active...
(HMO). The project is to study radio propagation in the 40-m band in the ionosphere.
The project entails a number of 40 milliwatt beacon transmitters at a frequency of 7.023 MHz being operated by amateurs across the country. Propagation data from these beacons is then analysed by scientists at the HMO to reveal details about the structure and behaviour of the ionosphere.
Reception data is collected from reports by other amateurs all over the country. A further educational component of the project is participation by schools.
School children equipped with sponsored simple receivers developed by the SARL, also participate in the project and send reception reports to the HMO. The receivers, supplied in kit form, provide a further educational opportunity as the children will assemble and install them with assistance from local amateur radio clubs. A fun element of the project for the learners is when schools compete to be the first to decode the “secret messages” that some of the beacons transmit.
According to Dr Lee-Anne McKinnell, the HMO Space Physics Group manager, “This project is truly a collaborative project. It will benefit the scientists, the hobbyists, and the schools.”
The project stalled soon after launch due to problems co-ordinating the timing of the transmitters.
Satellite projects
Through its affiliate, SA AMSAT, the League has participated in two satelliteOSCAR
OSCAR is an acronym for Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio. OSCAR series satellites use amateur radio frequencies to facilitate communication between amateur radio stations. These satellites can be used for free by licensed amateur radio operators for voice and data communications...
projects; SUNSAT
SUNSAT
The Stellenbosch UNiversity SATellite is the first miniaturized satellite designed and manufactured in South Africa. It was launched aboard a Delta II rocket from the Vandenberg Air Force Base on 23 February 1999. Sunsat was built by post-graduate engineering students at the University of...
in collaboration with Stellenbosch University
Stellenbosch University
Stellenbosch University is a public research university situated in the town of Stellenbosch, South Africa. Other nearby universities are the University of Cape Town and University of the Western Cape....
's department of electronic engineering
Electronic engineering
Electronics engineering, also referred to as electronic engineering, is an engineering discipline where non-linear and active electrical components such as electron tubes, and semiconductor devices, especially transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, are utilized to design electronic...
and Sumbandila which is a SunSpace project.
SA AMSAT started a Cubesat
CubeSat
A CubeSat is a type of miniaturized satellite for space research that usually has a volume of exactly one liter , has a mass of no more than 1.33 kilograms, and typically uses commercial off-the-shelf electronics components...
programme during 2011.