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G4TNU > NEWS 20.03.16 03:55l 251 Lines 11850 Bytes #999 (0) @ GBR
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 20 Mar 2016
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday 20th March 2016
The news headlines:
* VK0EK team en route to Heard Island
* Register for Mills on the Air
* Roy, G8CKN retires after 37 years of GB2RS
The VK0EK team are almost at the end of their 10 day journey to Heard
Island at the time of writing. The operators are currently active as
ZL/ZS9HI/MM from Braveheart. Activity has been mainly on CW on 30, 15
and10 meters. See their website at http://vk0ek.org for more
information on the DXpedition.
Denby Dale ARS invite registrations for this year's Mills On The Air
weekend that takes place over the weekend of the 14th and 15th of
May. Please visit www.g4cdd.net and follow the links.
Roy, G8CKN has decided to retire from presenting the GB2RS news and
the RSGB would like to thank him for his many years of dedicated
service to the amateur radio community. He started broadcasting at
the beginning of the 2m FM service 37 years ago, adding simultaneous
70cm FM and 23cm ATV transmissions for the last 21 years. He then
added world-wide internet video streaming some 15 years ago. A
replacement or replacements are required to take over the current
transmissions on 2m FM, 70cm FM via GB3BN, 23cm Analogue or 70cm
Digital ATV via GB3HV and Internet Streaming via batc.tv. Assistance
will be given to set up these transmissions and some equipment may
also be available. If anyone would like to take over as a GB2RS news
reader in Hampshire/central southern England please contact the GB2RS
News Manager, Ken Hatton, G3VBA, via email to
gb2rs.manager<at>rsgb.org.uk.
Following the transfer of responsibility of amateur licence
examinations to the RSGB, the Examinations Group is looking for
volunteers to join them. Ideally volunteers will have a Full licence
and experience in radio communications technology in some
professional, educational or employment capacity. Full details are on
the RSGB website, just put volunteering in the search box.
Voting has now opened in the RSGB's 2016 election. Members have one
of three options for registering your vote on each Resolution. You
can attend the AGM in person on the 23rd of April at Glasgow City
Hotel, 36 Cambridge Street, Glasgow G2 3HN, starting at 12 noon. You
can vote by the internet on the RSGB website at
www.rsgb.org/votersgb16 or you can vote by post by contacting the
RSGB HQ by writing to the General Manager, by email from
gm.dept<at>rsgb.org.uk or by telephone 01234 832 702. Full details
are in the April RadCom. The closing date for internet or postal
voting is 12 noon on 21 April 2016.
A number of teams will be working the CQWW WPX SSB Contest on the
26th and 27th of March. They include members of the CT3 Team, active
as CQ9T from Funchal, AF-014, working as a Multi-Single/ Low-Power
entry. QSL via CT3KN. Also listen for members of Amateur Radio
Taipei, active from Taiwan as BP0P as a Multi-2 entry. QSL via BP0P,
see qrz.com. During the contest, listen out for Laurent, FM5BH, who
will be active as TO972M from Martinique Island, NA-107, as a Single-
Op/All-Band/High-Power entry. QSL via FM5BH direct. The bands will be
very busy and you should get the opportunity to work many more DX
stations.
If you are looking for something to entertain the younger members of
the family over Easter, take a look at the activities available at
Bletchley Park. Children will enjoy the Nifty Number trail and the
code breaking session available over the Easter long weekend. Go to
www.bletchleypark.org.uk for full details. Don't forget to visit the
National Radio Centre whilst you are there. Remember to take a copy
of your licence if you wish to operate GB3RS.
And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week
Today, the 20th the 31st Wythall RC Rally will take place at the
Wythall Radio Club HQ, Wythall Park, Silver St, Wythall B47 6LZ. The
venue has car parking as well as disabled facilities. Doors open at
9.30/10am and admission is GBP 3.50. There will be trade stands as
well as a licensed bar and catering facilities. Details from Mike on
07976 744 479.
Today, the 20th the Devon & Cornwall Repeater Group and Callington
ARS Rally will be held at Callington Town Hall, New Road, Callington
PL17 7BD. Doors open at 10.30am and admission is GBP 2. More
information from Roger by email to 2e0rph<at>gmail.com.
Today, the 20th, the Causeway Coast Glens AC Radio Rally will be held
at Bushmills Community Centre, 14 Dunluce Road, Bushmills, Co Antrim,
Northern Ireland BT57 8QG. The venue has disabled access and suitable
car parking on site. Doors open from 11am to 4pm and admission is
GBP 3. There will be trade stands, a Bring & Buy as well as an RSGB
bookstall. Catering facilities are available on site and there will
be a raffle taking place during the day. More details from MN0CCG on
0754 492 3956.
There are no rallies in the diary for Easter weekend. The next is the
Hack Green Bunker Rally on the 3rd of April at the Hack Green Nuclear
Bunker, Nantwich in Cheshire.
If you have any rally or event information you'd like to appear in
future editions of GB2RS News, in RadCom and on the RSGB website,
please email details to radcom<at>rsgb.org.uk.
And now the DX news compiled from 425 DX News and other sources
Herbert, DK2BR is operating holiday style from Con Son Island,
Vietnam, until the 26th of March with the callsign 3W2BR. This is
IOTA reference AS-130. He will be on the 10 to 40m bands using SSB,
RTTY and PSK31. Send QSL cards direct to his home callsign.
Hiro, JA6WFM, will be active in Tonga as A31MM during the CQWW WPX
SSB Contest, taking place on the 26th and 27th of March. He will work
a Single-Op/All-Band/Low-Power entry. QSL via EA5GL or Logbook of The
World.
A group of four Norwegians will sign VK9CK from the Cocos (Keeling)
Islands, OC-003, until the 26th of March. Operation will be on the 10
to 160m bands using SSB, CW and RTTY.
Bogdan, SP2FUD and Zenek, SP2GCJ will be on the air as C5FUD and
C5GCJ, respectively, from Brufut in the Gambia until the 1st of
April. Activity will be on the 10 to 80m bands using CW, SSB and
RTTY. This includes a possible entry in the upcoming CQ WPX SSB
contest. QSL to their home callsigns.
Bill, K1CN is on the air as C6AMM from Harbour Island in the Bahamas,
IOTA NA-001, until the 3rd of April. Activity is holiday style on the
6 to 40m bands using mostly SSB with some CW. QSL direct to his home
callsign.
Now the special event news
Between the 26th of March and the 22nd of April, Harlow and District
Amateur Radio Society will be activating GB0HAF from Hunsdon Airfield
for RAFARS Airfields on the Air. Operation will be on HF and 2m and
on various days. More details available on qrz.com or from Colin, by
email to g0mgu<at>hotmail.co.uk
Special event stations in Russia will be on the air until the 16th of
June as part of the international scientific-educational radio
marathon called Inventors of Telecommunications, established by the
Russian Geographical Society and supported by radio clubs and
individual operators. There will be awards and certificates. Each
RT73-prefix station represents a historical figure in the area of
telecommunications or electronics. For example, RT73BA represents
Alexander Graham Bell, RT73EA represents Edwin Howard Armstrong and
RT73NT represents Nikola Tesla.
Now the contest news
The 24 hours of the Russian DX Contest ends at 1200UTC today, the
20th. There are numerous entry categories, for single- and
multi-band, single- and multi-mode, multi-op, various power levels,
clubs, and so on. An interesting aspect of this event is the
possibility of submitting two single-band entries, for example 15m
and 80m. Work everyone and send a signal report and serial number,
but expect Russian stations to send you a signal report and a
2-letter Oblast code.
The BARTG HF RTTY contest ends at 0200UTC on the 21st. Operating on
the 3.5 to 28MHz bands the exchange is signal report, serial number
and time.
On Tuesday the 50MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC.
Using all modes the exchange is signal report, serial number and
locator.
Also on Tuesday the SHF UK Activity Contest is taking place at the
same time. Using all modes on the 2.3 to 10GHz bands the exchange is
signal report, serial number and locator.
On Thursday it's the SSB leg of the 80m Club Championships taking
place between 2000 and 2130UTC. The exchange is signal report and
serial number.
The CQ WorldWide Worked All Prefix SSB Contest is on next weekend
from 0000UTC on the 26th to 2359 on the 27th. In addition to all the
common prefixes, expect to hear plenty of interesting and obscure
ones too. Using the 1.8 to 28MHz bands the exchange is signal report
and serial number.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G4BAO and G3YLA
on Friday 18th March.
This week has seen continued geomagnetic storms, thanks to a
high-speed solar wind stream flowing from a geo-effective coronal
hole on the sun's surface. As we predicted, last weekend was
reasonably settled, but then it all went pear shaped. The K index hit
five on Tuesday night, and five again on Wednesday night, this time
remaining at five for up to nine hours. High K indices are usually a
sign of bad conditions, although there can be highlights.
During the initial phase of a geomagnetic storm you can often get
enhanced conditions, but they tend not to last and you can be left
with noisy bands and fluttery or no HF signals, especially if they go
near the poles.
The noon critical frequency as measured by the RAL Digisonde on
Tuesday was 7.2MHz, but just 5.4MHz on Wednesday. Quite a few of the
IBP beacons on 14.100 MHz could be heard on Tuesday, but by Thursday
morning none were audible.
Next week the solar flux index is predicted to be around 85-95 all
week. With no geo-effective coronal holes rotating into view on the
sun's surface the K index is predicted to remain around two. This
means we may have more settled HF conditions next week. We suggest
you keep your fingers crossed!
And now the VHF and up propagation news.
Last week's high pressure gave some modest Tropo openings on the VHF
bands, but as hinted at in the last bulletin, it was often
handicapped by dry air at the surface, below the inversion. This has
the effect of lessening the quality of the ducts formed and makes any
Tropo weaker and more marginal. It looks like a similar story through
the coming week, with the occasional improved spells when the surface
layer of air becomes more moist. You'll know this by the drizzle and
misty low cloud.
As always check the bands and look for areas of fog and misty low
cloud on the satellite pictures to see which directions might produce
the better quality lifts.
Around the March Equinox, is "Fireball season" A fireball is just an
especially bright meteor and they seem to appear in greater numbers
than usual around this time. In fact, one was reported last week
over the UK. Sadly fireballs are no help to meteor scatter operators
as they are so few and are short lived.
Conditions were perfect for the Dubus CW EME event last weekend, with
the moon at high declination and just beyond perigee.
Next week, losses will increase to maximum as the moon reaches apogee
on Friday and windows will shorten, the declination going negative on
Wednesday.
And that's all for this week from the propagation team.
And that's the end of the main news for this week prepared by the
Radio Society of Great Britain. Items for inclusion in subsequent
bulletins can be emailed to gb2rs<at>rsgb.org.uk to arrive by
10:00 on the Thursday before transmission.
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