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G4APL > NEWS 04.09.16 01:30l 310 Lines 14995 Bytes #999 (0) @ GBR
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 4 Sep 2016
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Sent: 160903/2312Z @:GB7CIP.#32.GBR.EURO #:16805 [Caterham Surrey GBR]
From: G4APL@GB7CIP.#32.GBR.EURO
To : NEWS@GBR
GB2RS Main News for Sunday 4th September 2016
The news headlines:
* New newsreaders wanted
* Brits in ARDF World Championships
* RSGB Convention news
The GB2RS Manager is looking to recruit volunteer newsreaders in the
South West for 2m broadcasts, particularly in the Hampshire area.
Readers are also wanted in Scotland, particularly around Ayrshire,
again for 2m broadcasts. If you are interested in these volunteer
posts, please contact the GB2RS Manager, Ken, G3VBA, by email to
gb2rs.manager<at>rsgb.org.uk
Eight British competitors are going to the ARDF World Championships
in Bulgaria in the name of the RSGB. They flew out yesterday, the 3rd
of September, to Varna on the Black Sea Coast. The first of the four
competitions is the FoxOring and takes place today, the 4th. It is a
combination of direction finding and orienteering skills. This is
followed on Monday by the sprint race, with the 80m and 2m classic 5
transmitter races on Tuesday and Thursday. The RSGB has entered teams
for the M40, M50 and M70 categories and an individual for the M60
category. The best chance of a podium place is in the highly
competitive M50 category where there are two talented competitors at
the lower end of the age group; David, M3WDD and Andrew, G4KWQ. The
team are all self funded and fly back at the end of the week.
The RSGB 2016 Convention takes place on the 7th to the 9th of October
at Kents Hill Conference Centre, Milton Keynes. The draft programme
is on the website and there's a full programme of events on both days
with everything from DXpedition lectures to Raspberry Pi workshops
and a Buildathon to microwave lectures. Go to www.rsgb.org/convention
for bookings and details of the event. The provisional programme will
be on the website next week, along with a detailed list of lectures.
The G5RP Trophy is an annual award to encourage newcomers to HF
DXing. The award is not limited to youngsters or the newly-licensed;
it is open to anyone who has recently discovered and made significant
progress in HF DXing. If you are an established HF DXer and want to
recommend someone to be awarded the G5RP Trophy for 2016, now is the
time to send in your nomination. Your nominee should be an
up-and-coming HF DXer who has made rapid progress in the last year
and has some real achievements to show, for example, a good total of
new countries worked or some serious HF DXpedition activity. This
prestigious award will be presented this year at the RSGB Convention.
Please send your nominations to Ian Greenshields, G4FSU, QTHR, or by
e-mail to hf.manager<at>rsgb.org.uk to arrive no later than Friday
the 16th of September.
The UKFM Group (Western) AGM will take place on Monday the 5th
September at 8pm in the Warrington ARC HQ, Bellhouse Lane,
Grappenhall, Warrington, WA4 2SG. It's important that as many members
of the group as possible attend the AGM as part of the discussion
will centre around membership numbers, membership fees and ultimately
the possible closing down of some of the Group's repeaters.
A team led by Dave, EI9FBB will be activating Europe's 2nd Most
Wanted IOTA until the 6th of September. The team will be on the air
from Lunga Island, which is EU-108, using the 80 to 6m bands. There
will be four stations operating CW and SSB. Using the callsign
MS0UKI, the 6-man team also includes EI5GM & EI6FR. See
www.eu108.wordpress.com for full information.
Three International Space Station crew members are scheduled to
return to Earth on Tuesday the 6th of September. NASA Television will
provide coverage of their departure from the orbital outpost and
return home, beginning at 2pm in the UK. Check out the full NASA TV
schedule and video streaming information at: www.nasa.gov/nasatv
And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week
Today, the 4th, Telford & District ARS are holding their annual
HamFest. This is held in the World Heritage location of Ironbridge
Gorge, at its Enginuity site. There will be numerous traders and
exhibitors as well as an RSGB Information and Book stand. A special
feature this year is a presentation by Noel Matthews, G8GTZ about
amateur radio on the ISS. More information from Martyn, G3UKV on
01952 255 416.
Next Saturday, the 10th, the Caister Lifeboat Radio Rally will be
held at Caister Lifeboat Station, Tan Lane, Caster on Sea, Norfolk,
NR30 5DJ. Doors open from 9.30am to 3pm, with traders gaining access
from 8am. Admission is free and the venue has free parking and
disabled access. All proceeds go to Caister Lifeboat. Contact Zane,
on 0771 121 4790 for further details.
Next Sunday, the 11th, sees the Torbay Communications Fair at Newton
Abbot Racecourse, Devon TQ12 3AF. The event is indoors and doors open
at 10am with disabled visitors gaining access half an hour earlier.
Admission is GBP 2. There is plenty of car parking on site. There
will be a Bring & Buy and an RSGB bookstall. There is also catering
on site.
Also next Sunday is the Andover Radio and Computer Boot Sale at
Tangley Village Hall, Wildhern, Andover, Hants SP11 0JE. Doors will
be open from 9am to 4pm, with disabled visitors gaining access from
8.30am. Admittance will be GBP 2. There will be a Bring & Buy, car
boot area, as well as trade stands. Catering will be available on
site and there will be a raffle held on the day. More details from
Paul Phillips, G4KZY, 0777 573 8200.
Looking ahead, from the 3rd to the 10th of October the British Young
Ladies Amateur Radio Association will be hosting the very first
International Young Ladies Radio Convention to be held in this
country. There are ladies and their partners booked into the Novotel
in Milton Keynes from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Great Britain,
France, Germany, Iceland, Scotland, Sweden and the USA. More details
are at www.bylara.org.uk
On Sunday the 18th of September the Microwave Round Table will be
hosted by Crawley ARC. It will be a day of demonstrations,
presentations, equipment and component sales, all microwave
related.
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
Bob, VK2BOB, will work from Samoa, OC-097 as 5W0BOB between the 10th
and 17th of September. Listen for him on the 20 and 40m bands using
mainly SSB. His log will be uploaded to Club Log and QSL instructions
are on QRZ.com.
Gordon, K7TRB, will use the callsign 7P8VA from Maseru in Lesotho
between now and the 5th of November. He will be using the 80 to 10m
bands and possibly on 6m as well. Listen for him on SSB and
datamodes. Send QSLs to his home callsign, direct, or by the Bureau.
Alain, F8FUA will be on the air as FK/F8FUA from Lifou Island, IOTA
OC-033, from the 5th to the 12th of September. Activity will be on
the HF bands using CW, SSB and RTTY. QSL to his home callsign.
Pasi, OH3WS will be on the air as OJ0W until the 10th of September
from Market Reef, EU-053. Activity will be on the 80 to 10m bands.
QSL to his home callsign.
Ken, KH6QJ is on the air as T32AZ from Kiritimati Island, IOTA
OC-024, until the 15th of September. Activity is on 80, 40, 20, 15
and 10 metres using SSB. QSL to his home callsign.
Now the special event news
GB75ACO – that's Air Cadet Organisation – will be operating at
Stalham ATC Squadron, Norfolk, until the 18th of September. They are
celebrating 75 Years of the Air Training Corps. Primary activity will
be on 40m, with some local 2m and 60m. Special QSL cards will be
available and details are on QRZ.com.
GB0APS will be on the air today, the 4th, from 1pm to 5pm from Abbey
Pumping Station Museum, Corporation Road, Leicester LE4 5PX,
operating mainly on 40m SSB. Admission to the museum is GBP 3.50.
On the 4th, the Radio club of Binche will put ON44WAR on the air to
commemorate the Belgian Resistance in World War Two, especially those
of the Refuge B 40 in Waudrez. The timetable of the activities is at
www.on7ry.be
South Essex ARS will put GX4RSE on the air on the 10th from the War
Memorial Hall, High Street, Canvey Island, Essex SS8 7RB. There will
also be Morse keys and sounders for visitors to try and test their
skill with information on the International Space Station, amateur
radio videos and information on how to get licensed.
Otley ARS will be taking part in the Amateur Radio British Scientists
Award 2016 by commemorating the life and works of Sir Edward Victor
Appleton. The main event will consist of a display and information on
Sir Edward's life and work at the home of OARS, Clifton Village Hall,
Otley, LS21 2ES on the 10th from 10am to 4pm. During the day, the
radio shack will be open to the public.
Now the contest news
SSB Field Day takes place for 24 hours over this weekend ending at
1300UTC today, the 4th. Like its CW counterpart, this contest has
Open and Restricted sections, although the antenna limitations are
different, so please check the rules beforehand. It runs on the 3.5
to 28MHz bands. The exchange is signal report and serial number.
The 144MHz Trophy also takes place for 24 hours this weekend and ends
at 1400UTC today, the 4th. It is hotly contested in the Open
category, but there are four other categories. Three of them are for
single ops, so there are opportunities for all to strive to do well.
Running on 2m from 1400 to 1400UTC using all modes, the exchange is
signal report, serial number and locator.
The IARU 144MHz Contest takes place at the same time this weekend. It
coincides exactly with the RSGB 144MHz Trophy contest. For those
taking part in the former there's no need to enter the latter,
because your entry will be automatically submitted for you unless you
specify that you don't want to enter the IARU event. Using all modes
the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
Overlapping the last three hours of the 144MHz Trophy contest and
then continuing for one hour on its own, the fifth and final 144MHz
Backpacker Contest takes place today, Sunday the 4th from 1100 to
1500UTC. In the Backpackers there are two permitted power levels, 3W
and 10W. The exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
The All Asian DX Contest takes place for the whole 48 hours this
weekend ending at 2359UTC today, the 4th. UK stations taking part in
SSB Field Day will find it helpful to have a suitable number to give
them, because All Asian stations want to be sent the operators' age,
not a serial number. Using SSB on the 1.8 to 28MHz bands, the
exchange is signal report and age, although YL operators can send 00.
The Worked All Britain 144MHz QRO Phone Contest takes place today,
the 4th of September, from 1000 to 1400UTC. The exchange is signal
report, serial number and Worked All Britain square. Entries need to
be with the contest manager by the 25th of September. It helps if
stations, including mobiles, please try to find out their IARU
Locator in addition to their WAB Area, as this contest coincides with
part of the RSGB contest. Full details of the rules and log sheets
may be obtained from the WAB website www.worked-all-britain.org.uk or
from the contest manager Tony Beardsley, G3XKT, via email to
aebbooks<at>ntlworld.com
On Tuesday the 144MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC.
Using all modes the exchange is signal report, serial number and
locator.
On Wednesday it's the UK EI CC that runs from 2000 to 2100UTC using
SSB on the 80m band. The exchange is your 4 character locator square.
Next weekend, the 10th and 11th, the WAE DX SSB contest runs for the
whole 48 hours. Using SSB on the 3.5 to 28MHz bands the exchange is
signal report and serial number. Note that European stations work non
European stations only.
On the 11th from 0900 to 1700UTC the UK Microwave Group's contest is
on the 24 and 47GHz bands. The exchange is signal report, serial
number and locator.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO
on Friday 2nd of September
This week brought a glimpse of better things to come. Andy, M0NKR
reports he worked VP6J Pitcairn Island on twelve metres and the
maximum useable frequency was often above 21MHz earlier in the week.
The downside was, as predicted, periods of unsettled geomagnetic
conditions, with the K index hitting four at times and even six on
Friday. But, looking on the bright side, as we enter September we are
now heading towards better autumnal HF conditions in the northern
hemisphere. The ionosphere is starting to cool and there is a shift
towards more monoatomic and fewer diatomic species in the F2 layer.
These are easier to ionise so we should start to see maximum usable
frequencies increase. But we really need calmer geomagnetic
conditions too, so look out for lower K indices for better
propagation on the higher HF bands.
Next week may see the solar flux index increasing thanks to large
sunspot group number 2585, which is rotating into position on the
solar surface.
The US Air Force predicts the Solar Flux Index will be around 105
this weekend, tailing off to 70 by the end of the week. Geomagnetic
conditions may be unsettled at the beginning of the week, but
improving by next weekend.
The smoothed sunspot number for September, for use with VOACAP-based
prediction programs, is 35.
And now the VHF and up propagation news
This week's weather will be largely dominated by high pressure,
meaning that we'll be getting a chance to try some VHF and UHF Tropo.
In fact, for much of the coming week high pressure will extend across
much of Britain and, at times, there should be some good quality
temperature inversions to cause ducting over quite long distances.
Remember, Tropo is not a fleeting signal path like Sporadic-E, but
can last for hours or even days, with some variability. It is often
better at higher frequencies, so try the GHz bands and UHF first,
then move down to VHF. The positioning of the high should allow
contacts from the UK to Scandinavia and down across Biscay to Spain,
as well as within the UK itself. This is a chance to test out your
station. Don't rely on a repeater to do the work for you, go simplex
and try other modes like CW and SSB.
Moon declination is negative all this week, meaning shorter moon
windows. Add this to the Moon's apogee on Tuesday, bringing the
highest losses, and EME opportunities will be more limited.
The Orionids meteor shower is spread over many months between late
August and mid November, so continue to look out for improved meteor
scatter conditions this coming week.
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.
--
g4apl@gb7cip.ampr.org g4apl@gb7cip.#32.gbr.euro
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