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G4TNU > NEWS 29.05.16 00:59l 256 Lines 12405 Bytes #999 (0) @ GBR
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 29 May 2016
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday 29th May 2016
The news headlines:
* RSGB Convention news
* Transatlantic VHF digital beacon
* Repeater insurance renewals
If you weren't able to visit the RSGB Convention in 2015, some of the
lectures were recorded and are being made available to Members via
the RSGB website. Go to www.rsgb.org/video and click the RSGB 2015
Convention link. In 2016, the Convention is looking forward to
welcoming Jeff, VY2ZM/K1ZM, who lives with his wife, Miriam on Prince
Edward Island. He is both a well-known contester and a lowband DXer
with a special interest in 160m. He participates in most of the major
contests each season. He will be speaking on Contesting from VY2ZM in
the Canadian Maritimes. Booking information can be found at
www.rsgb.org/convention where you can click on the Convention logo to
book.
On the 19th of May, antennas were erected and the VHF SDR turned on
to inaugurate the VO1FN/b Transatlantic VHF Digital Beacon Receiver
Site. This is a joint project sponsored in part by the Society of
Newfoundland Radio Amateurs, Baccalieu Amateur Radio Club and the
Upper Trinity Amateur Radio Club. The VHF Digital Receive site is now
operational and ready for experimentation by beacon operators and
well-equipped VHF stations in Europe. The antennas, two InnovAntenna
5 element LFA Q High Gain VHF Yagis, can be rotated to point to
stations that are located in southern regions of Europe.
Repeater keepers are reminded that their repeater insurance is due.
Those who have yet to renew should do so via the RSGB website.
Renewals have been reduced to GBP 10 per repeater callsign. [Note to
Newsreaders: the exact renewal URL is
www.rsgbshop.org/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Insurance_34.html]
An International Space Station radio contact has been planned for
Jeff, KD5TVQ with participants at a school in Ontario, Canada. The
event is scheduled for Monday the 30th of May at approximately
1901UTC. The contact will be a telebridge contact operated by IK1SLD
in northern Italy. The downlink signals should be audible over parts
of Europe. Interested parties are invited to listen in on 145.800MHz
narrowband FM.
The Dayton Hamvention is over for another year. Around 25,000
visitors were at the show, including the RSGB President, Nick
Henwood, G3RWF. He was interviewed along with Chip Margelli, K7JA;
A71EZ of the Qatar Amateur Radio Society and Vicki Mate, K8VGM of the
3905 Century Club for the Amateur Radio Newsline report.
Nigel, G3TXF will be at the helm of the Kosovo Amateur Radio
Association station Z60A during the CQ WPX CW contest this weekend.
The Association is the newest International Amateur Radio Union
member society. The operation will be in preparation for their debut
as an official headquarters station for the IARU HF Championship on
the 9th and 10th of July when Z60A will operate from multiple
stations around the country.
A radio relic from the Second World War has just come out of the
shadows. It's a wireless station just outside Norwich that operated
in obscurity, its access hidden behind a fake bookcase. The station
also had a nearby escape tunnel. Civilian volunteers were dispatched
there to transmit and receive messages for the Army, trading
information to help ward off an invasion. The station, which finally
came to public light in 2012, was recently granted Heritage
Protection by Historic England. It is known as the Pinebanks station
and is located at Thorpe St Andrews near Norwich, one of three
underground wireless stations similarly protected.
Midland ARS will be celebrating the 85th anniversary of the society
in June. They are inviting ex members and anyone else who is
interested to the shack for an exhibition of the club's history and a
buffet on the 8th of June. If any ex members have any memorabilia
that could be borrowed for the exhibition, please contact Norman,
G8BHE on 0780 807 8003.
Affiliated amateur radio clubs need to be getting information
together for the next RSGB Yearbook and should recently have received
a letter to this effect. Information such as contact details, meeting
places and examination information is being collected. The deadline
for submitting information on the club is 6 June.
GB3WW and GB3WG have recently been repaired and upgraded. These are
co-located at 370m ASL on a 180ft mast above Port Talbot. GB3WG has
changed frequency to RU70, wide split, on 430.875 and 434.475MHz with
94.8Hz CTCSS. The repeater keeper, John, GW4FOI would appreciate
reports from any and all areas.
IARU Region 1 has produced an updated VHF Managers' Handbook. All
relevant decisions of the IARU R1 Conference 2014 in Varna Bulgaria
have been taken into account as well as recommendations proposed in
the Vienna meeting 2016. A completely new version of the VHF handbook
will be published after the 2017 Conference in Munich. To download
your copy, go to www.iaru-r1.org
And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week
We have no details of any rallies taking place today, the 29th.
On the 4th and 5th of June the Sussex Electronics and Radio Fair
takes place at Eastbourne Sports Park, Cross Levels Way, Eastbourne,
East Sussex BN21 2UF. The venue has free car parking as well as
camping and caravanning on site and there are disabled facilities. A
talk-in station will be in operation as well as a special event
station. Doors open from 10am to 4pm and admission is GBP 3, with
children free. There will be indoor/outdoor trade stands and catering
on site. There will be a room for talks and demonstrations. More
information from Dave, G8PUO on 07807 074 538.
On the 5th of June the Central Scotland Amateur Radio Mini Convention
will be held in Crofthead Community Education Centre, Templar Rise,
Dedridge, Livingston EH54 6DG. There is car parking on site and the
venue has disabled facilities. Doors open at 10am, with disabled
visitors gaining access 10 minutes earlier. Admission is GBP 4. There
will be trade stands, a flea market, special interest groups, an RSGB
bookstall and lectures during the event. A raffle will also take
place. Details from John, MM0JRR, 01506 437 908.
Also on the 5th of June, the Spalding & District ARS Rally will be in
the Sir John Gleed Technology School, Halmer Gardens, Spalding, Lincs
PE11 2EF. The venue has free car parking and talk-in is on S22. Doors
open at 10am. There will be trade stands and outside car boot area.
Catering will be available on site. More information from John, G4NBR
on 0794 630 2815.
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
Kevin, K6TOP is on the air as VP2V/K6TOP from Tortola, IOTA reference
NA-023, in the British Virgin Islands. He will be active until the
15th of June while on holiday. Operation is on the 40, 20, 15 and 10m
bands using mostly CW. QSL via NR6M.
Stefan, DF8HS will be active from Fehmarn Island, EU-128, from the
6th of June until the 4th of July. QSL via the bureau.
Gil, F4FET will be active as F4FET/p from Fort Brescou, EU-148, on
the 3rd to the 5th of June. He will operate SSB on the 40 to 6m
bands. QSL via his home callsign, direct or via the bureau.
John, K9EL will be active as FS/K9E from St Martin, NA-105, from the
5th to the 23rd of June. He will be on the 80 to 6m bands using CW,
SSB and RTTY. QSL via his home callsign, direct or via the bureau,
OQRS on Club Log, LoTW and eQSL.
Iain, MM0TFU will be active holiday style as MM0TFU/p from
Blackwaterfoot, Isle of Arran, EU-123, from the 1st to the 14th of
June. QSL via LoTW or direct to his home callsign.
Now the contest news
Today, Sunday the 29th, the third 70MHz Cumulative contest runs from
1400 to 1600UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report,
serial number and locator.
The CW World Wide WPX CW contest ends its 48 hour run at 2359 tonight
on the 29th. Using the 1.8 to 28MHz bands, the exchange is signal
report and serial number.
On Tuesday the 70MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2230UTC.
Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and
locator.
The CW National Field Day takes place over the weekend the 4th and
5th of June. Running from 1500 to 1500UTC on the 1.8 to 28MHz bands,
the exchange is signal report and serial number.
Also over the weekend of the 4th and 5th, the South East Asia NETwork
Contest takes place for 24 hours from 1200 to 1200UTC. The SEANET
area encompasses CQ Zones 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29, which is a
triangle extending from India in the West to Japan in the North East
and Australia in the South East. Using the 3.5 to 28MHz bands, the
exchange is signal report and serial number.
The UK Six Metre Group's annual Summer E's Contest takes place for 24
hours on the same weekend, which was chosen to coincide with the peak
of the Sporadic-E season. You don't need to be a member of UKSMG to
participate or enter. Running from 1300 to 1300 on the 5th, the
exchange is signal report, serial number, locator and membership
number if you have one.
The UK Microwave Group is holding another Low Band contest on 23, 13
and 9cm on the 5th. Running from 1000 to 1400UTC on the 1.3, 2.3 and
3.4GHz bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and
locator.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO
on Friday 27th May.
This past week was more settled, geomagnetically, with the K index
generally staying around zero or one. This was thanks to a lack of
solar coronal hole activity and the associated high-speed solar wind
streams. The solar flux index declined from the high to mid 90s as
large sunspot 2546 rotated out of view. This has left a rather
sparse-looking solar disk with only one sunspot group visible. As a
result the solar flux index is predicted to remain around 90 in the
coming week. NOAA predicts the geomagnetic K index rising again to an
unsettled four on Monday and Tuesday.
Looking further ahead it doesn't look good for next weekend's HF CW
National Field Day as plasma from a recurring solar coronal hole
could push the K index up to five. This could see the HF bands become
noisy and maximum usable frequencies fall away.
Apart from occasional short-skip Sporadic-E openings on 10 and 15m,
the highest ‘money' band for Field Day is predicted to be 20m, with
15m perhaps struggling to open to DX. Forty metres may give
consistent openings around Europe, with DX being workable at night.
Eighty metres may give good openings around Europe after dark, but is
unlikely to yield much DX.
And now the VHF and up propagation news.
Next week sees high pressure between Iceland and Scotland with low
pressure over the near continent. This will mean a north-easterly
flow of air from the North Sea. In the summer months, this can lead
to extensive mist and sea fog along eastern coasts and give some good
Tropo conditions from East Anglia to Aberdeen and Lerwick.
This type of Tropo depends upon warm moist air blowing off the
continent and out across the cool North Sea to give longer DX paths
to Denmark, for example. However, with a north-easterly wind it
usually means dry cool air gets folded into the mix, and I suspect we
may be limited to paths up and down the east coast.
Last week saw some excellent Sporadic-E openings on 6 and 4 metres.
Conditions on Wednesday extended from Scandinavia round to the
Balkans and central Mediterranean.
For next week it's not a good sign that there seem to be few
suitably-placed jet streams, often involved with Sporadic-E
formation. They are mostly located over Spain and the Mediterranean
and so a bit too far away.
EME conditions will improve next week with increasing declination and
the moon at perigee on Friday.
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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