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G4APL > NEWS 08.01.17 10:12l 236 Lines 10798 Bytes #999 (0) @ GBR
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 8 Jan 2017
Path: IW8PGT<CX2SA<HG8LXL<GB7YEW<GB7CIP
Sent: 170108/0844Z @:GB7CIP.#32.GBR.EURO #:30778 [Caterham Surrey GBR]
From: G4APL@GB7CIP.#32.GBR.EURO
To : NEWS@GBR
GB2RS Main News for Sunday 8th January 2017
The news headlines:
* Happy New Year from RSGB
* GB2RS 5MHz time change
* Act now to get elected
The news team and all the staff at RSGB HQ would like to wish our
newsreaders, listeners and online readers a very Happy New Year. We
would like to remind everyone that the deadline for news items is
10am on Thursday mornings and we welcome your news every week. Please
send all information to radcom<at>rsgb.org.uk and remember to include
your FULL club name, RSGB region, event details and – most
importantly – contact details. The GB2RS script is uploaded to the
RSGB website on Friday afternoons.
Due to ongoing propagation changes, the team of 5MHz GB2RS
Newsreaders has decided to revise the time of the Sunday afternoon
GB2RS News bulletin in order to try and optimise reception
conditions. The new transmission time will be 1500UTC. Please note
that this is UTC and not local time, which is to cater for seasonal
propagation and clock changes. The transmission frequency remains
unchanged at 5398.5kHz USB. It is hoped to commence the change from
the 22nd of January transmission.
This is the time of year when we call for volunteers to step forward
for election at the RSGB AGM, which will take place at the Angel
Hotel in Cardiff on 22 April 2017. In 2017 the RSGB will be looking
to appoint one elected Board Director, one nominated Board Director
and five Regional Managers. Regions 2, 5, 7, 10 and 12 are open for
volunteers whether the current Regional Manager is seeking
re-election or not. Nominations for elected Board Directors and
Regional Managers require the supporting signatures of 10 RSGB
Corporate Members. Nominations for the Regional Manager vacancies
must come from Members who reside in the relevant region. Further
information about the election vacancies, together with nomination
forms, are available on the RSGB website at
www.rsgb.org/elections2017 or paperwork can be obtained by post from
the General Manager at RSGB HQ. Completed papers, with their
supporting signatures, must be received by noon on 1 February 2017.
On Friday the 27th of January there is a free-to-attend,
invitation-only, event at the Royal Institution of Great Britain, 21
Albemarle Street, London W1S 4BS entitled The Evolution Of Television
From Baird To The Digital Age. It is a series of talks in
‘celebration' of the first public demonstration of television in
January 1926 at 22 Frith Street by John Logie Baird. Registration,
with coffee, will be from 10.30am. To request an invitation ticket,
go to www.ieee-ukandireland.org/baird The event will be associated
with the formal unveiling on the previous afternoon of an IEEE
History Milestone Plaque to be mounted in Frith Street.
As of 1400UTC on the 15th of January, the ARRL's Logbook of The World
will no longer accept contacts that have been digitally signed by
versions of TQSL earlier than version 2.0. Users of earlier versions
are encouraged to upgrade as soon as possible, as older TQSL versions
contain uncorrected defects and display inaccurate error messages.
The current versions of TQSL for Windows, OS X, and Linux are
available online. This action does not affect data already uploaded
to LoTW; all QSOs remain in the LoTW database in perpetuity.
[Note to Newsreaders: the current versions of TQSL for Windows, OS X,
and Linux are online at https://lotw.arrl.org/lotw-help/installation/
and you can read this URL out if you choose].
The 14th IARU World High Speed Telegraphy Championship will be host
by Hungarian radio amateur society, MRASZ. It will take place from 13
to 17 September 2017. All information regarding the event can be
found on the web page of the championship, www.hst2017.org
The new Radio Amateur HF Propagation Prediction tool, as mentioned
previously in RadCom, is now fully available. The URL is
www.predtest.uk New features include various colour schemes for the
plots allowing users with colour preferences to make the best viewing
choice for themselves. If you have any comments or suggestions please
email Gwyn Williams, G4FKH, via g4fkh<at>sky.com.
And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week
The Red Rose Winter Rally, organised by West Manchester Radio Club,
takes place on the 15th of January at Lowton Civic Centre, Hesketh
Meadow Lane, WA3 2AH, just off the A580 East Lancs Road. Doors open
at 11am and car parking is free. There will be trade stands, a Bring
& Buy, special interest groups and an RSGB bookstall. Catering is
available on site. Further details from John, on 07870 161953.
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 full details to radcom<at>rsgb.org.uk.
And now the DX news compiled from 425 DX News and other sources
A group of Brazilian operators will be active as ZZ8P from Poldros
Island, IOTA reference SA-072, between the 14th and 18th of January.
Activity will be on various HF bands using CW, SSB and the digital
modes. QSL via PT2GTI, direct, by the Bureau, Club Log or Logbook of
the World.
Steve, G0SGB will be active as ZC4SB from various locations within
Cyprus, AS-004, between the 11th and 25th of January. He will operate
SSB and CW mainly on 80, 40 and 20 metres. QSL via his home callsign,
direct only.
JH6WDG is on the air as T88AQ from Koror Island, IOTA OC-009, until
the 13th of January. Activity is on 160 to 6m using CW, SSB and
various digital modes. QSL to his home callsign.
DJ2EH will be on the air as TG9/DJ2EH in Guatemala from the 10th to
the 24th of January. Activity will be on the HF bands using CW and
RTTY. QSL to his home callsign.
Rich, K8NDS will be operating as V31RF from the 9th of January to the
6th of February. Activity will be on 40, 20 and 17 metres using SSB.
QSL via operator's instructions.
Now the special event news
GB2KW will be on the air from the 1st to the 28th of January using
vintage KW Electronics Ltd equipment. See the GB2KW listing on
QRZ.com for full information.
Humber Fortress DX ARC in Hull has organised a year's multi club
activation to celebrate Hull as the UK City of Culture 2017. Ofcom
have kindly granted the callsign GB0HCC for the whole year using the
standard NoV format of 28 days; each club will apply for the relevant
28 day portion of the year, to follow on from the previous club.
Humber Fortress will be starting the year off. Look for them on the
40 and 80m bands.
Canadian radio amateurs can use special callsign prefixes to
celebrate the 150th anniversary of Canada's Confederation in 2017.
Those whose regular callsigns start with VA will be able to use the
CF prefix, VE will be able to use the CG prefix, VO will be able to
use the CH prefix and those with VY will be able to use the CI prefix.
Now the contest news
The UK Six Metre Group Winter Marathon continues on 6m until the end
of January. Details are on the UKSMG.org website.
The ARRL RTTY Roundup runs for 30 hours until 2359 on the 8th. Using
the 3.5 to 28MHz bands, the exchange is signal report and serial
number, with US stations sending their State and Canadians their
Province.
Today, the 8th, the CW AFS takes place from 1400 to 1800UTC. Using
the 3.5 and 7MHz bands the exchange is signal report and serial
number.
On Tuesday the Low Power 432MHz FM contest runs from 1900 to 2000UTC.
The exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
Also on Tuesday the 432MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to
2230UTC. Using all modes the exchange is signal report, serial number
and locator.
On Thursday it's the 50MHz UK Activity Contest, which runs from 2000
to 2230UTC. Using all modes the exchange is signal report, serial
number and locator.
On Saturday, the 14th, the SSB AFS contest runs from 1400 to 1800UTC.
Using SSB only on the 3.5 and 7MHz bands, the exchange is signal
report and serial number.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO
on Friday the 6th of January.
Firstly, a happy new year to all. We've got off to a bad start with a
massive coronal hole on the sun that has rewarded us with dire
predictions for the period up to the 8th of January. We can expect
the K index to hit four or five at times with a consequent lowering
of maximum useable frequencies and noisy HF conditions. This is not
being helped by a complete lack of sunspots, depressing the solar
flux index into the low 70s.
As a result daytime critical frequencies over the UK are struggling
to exceed five to six megahertz at times. This means that 60 and 80
metres are often the best bands for inter-G working, with 40 metres
mainly being reserved for long-skip contacts into Europe.
On longer distance contacts, although 20 metres is the best all-round
band, we are often seeing longer-range 17m openings around lunchtime
and early afternoon. However, we are still in the winter Sporadic-E
season. Although these openings can be short-lived and unreliable, it
is worth checking the 10 metre beacons every now and again.
Over the next week the K index is predicted to dip to around two or
three, with the solar flux index remaining in the mid seventies.
And now the VHF and up propagation news.
At the start of next week we have high pressure over the near
continent, so perhaps some weak tropospheric openings into Europe may
appear for southern stations. It will need some moisture at the
surface underneath the inversion to make conditions work, so look for
mist and fog or a blanket of cloud to show the presence of moisture
near the inversion. Remember, it's the contrast of moisture across
the inversion that allows the duct to work.
Deepening lows will then cross to the north of Scotland and drive
colder, drier air south again, along with very strong winds at times.
This will effectively finish any Tropo after midweek.
In view of the active lows later in the week, there will also be some
strong jet stream activity at times, which is always worth noting as
a potential marker for some of the rarer mid-winter Sporadic-E.
The short, but intense, Quadrantids meteor shower is past its peak,
so continue to look for the dawn peak in random activity. We are now
heading into the winter minimum for meteor activity. Moon declination
is high all week and losses are low, with perigee on Tuesday. So it
is a good week for EME.
And that's all from the propagation team this week.
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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