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G4APL > NEWS 18.03.17 23:54l 240 Lines 11116 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 19 Mar 2017
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Sent: 170318/2248Z @:GB7CIP.#32.GBR.EURO #:38381 [Caterham Surrey GBR]
From: G4APL@GB7CIP.#32.GBR.EURO
To : NEWS@EU
GB2RS Main News for Sunday 19th March 2017
The news headlines:
* High volume of calls to Ofcom
* 90th RSGB AGM in Cardiff
*Yasme Foundation supports YOTA 2017
Ofcom Spectrum Licensing is currently experiencing a high volume of
calls about licensing issues. Email enquiries can take up to four
weeks and telephone answering can also be delayed at peak times.
Please use the online portal for licence activities and consult the
Information for Radio Amateurs and Frequently Asked Questions before
calling or emailing. See www.ofcom.org.uk for further information
Online version only
Online portal:
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/grid-redirects/amateur-and-ships-licences-onl
ine-portal
Info and FAQ :
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/manage-your-licence/radiocommunication-licenc
es/amateur-radio/amateur-radio-info
The 90th RSGB AGM will be held at the Angel Hotel, Castle St, Cardiff
CF10 1SZ on Saturday the 22nd of April, commencing at 12 noon.
Details of those standing for elections, the accounts and the Minutes
of the 2016 AGM appear in the April RadCom. Arrangements have been
made for Members who are unable to attend the AGM to cast their votes
by proxy. Details of this are at www.rsgb.org/AGM2017. Whilst the
RSGB encourages Members to vote electronically via the ERS website at
www.ersvotes.com/rsgb17, if you require a postal vote please call HQ
on 01234 832 702. Votes must be received by the ERS before 12 noon on
Thursday 20 April 2017. Lunch will be provided at the AGM for Members
who notify their attendance in advance. Please register using the
form on the website at www/rsgb.org/attendagm
The RSGB is delighted to announce that the Yasme Foundation have
become a Super Supporter of the YOTA 2017 event at Gilwell Park in
August. The Yasme Foundation makes supporting grants to individuals
and organisations providing or creating useful services for the
amateur radio community. Regardless of originality or novelty, Yasme
supports these programs in order to further the development of
amateur radio around the world. If you would like find out more about
the YOTA 2017 event, go to www.rsgb.org/yota
The DXpedition to Bangladesh will use two different callsigns during
its 12-day operation. S21ZED will be used until the 22nd of March,
with S21ZEE used for the last 5 days, the 23rd to the 27th. This is
to comply with Bangladeshi regulations. The DXpedition team asks that
stations not work the second call sign on the same bands/modes, if
they already have worked the first.
Results for the 80 Metres Evening Counties Contest held on the 21st
of February have now been published, see www.irts.ie/results for the
details. Congratulations to the winners. The leading stations outside
Ireland were Dave, 2E0KVJ, SSB only, and Mike, G3VYI, mixed mode.
Some countries in the Northern Hemisphere that includes most of North
American and some of the Caribbean, who observe Daylight Saving Time
changed their clocks on the 12th of March at 2am. The UK will switch
to British Summer Time on the 26th of March. Of course, most radio
amateurs don't change their UTC clocks anyway. Although you may have
to change the settings on some computer programs.
A Near Vertical Incidence Skywave Research Paper available for
download. NVIS can be used for radio communication in a large area,
around 200km radius, without any intermediate human-made
infrastructure. It is therefore especially suited for disaster relief
communication, communication in developing regions and applications
where independence of local infrastructure is desired, such as
military applications. It uses frequencies between around 3 and
10MHz. Entitled Radio communication via Near Vertical Incidence
Skywave propagation: an overview, it has been written by Rosa Ma
Alsina-Pagès and Ben A. Witvliet. Download at
https://tinyurl.com/k8e583l
And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week
Today, the 19th, the 32nd Wythall Radio Club Rally is at Wythall
Park, Silver Street, B47 6LZ. Parking is available on site. Doors
open at 10am, with disabled visitors gaining access at 9.30am. Entry
is GBP 4. There will be a Bring & Buy, a RSGB bookstall as well as
lectures. Catering will be available on site. Contact Mike, on
0797 674 4479.
On the 26th of March, the Callington Radio Rally will take place at
Callington Town Hall, Callington, Cornwall PL17 7BD. Doors open at
10am and admittance is GBP 2. There will be a Bring & Buy and trade
stands. Catering available on site. Ample free parking in the
adjacent car park. Rally organised by the Devon & Cornwall Repeater
and Callington Amateur Radio Society. More information and bookings
from Roger on 07854 088 882.
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
SP5EAQ and SP7DQR are on the air as T2AQ and T2QR in Tuvalu until the
4th of April. Activity is on the 10 to 80m bands using SSB and CW.
QSL via SP7DQR. In addition, Tim, NL8F will be active as T2TT from
the 23rd of March to the 13th of April. His activity will be on
various HF bands using SSB and digital modes. QSL via N7RO.
Kazik, SP6AXW is on the air as 9N7XW until the 31st of March from
Nepal. Activity is holiday style on the HF bands. QSL to his home
callsign.
Ed, WA1ZAM will be active as PJ7PL until the 3rd of April from Sint
Maarten. Activity will be on the 10 to 30m bands using SSB and RTTY.
This includes being an entry in next weekend's CQ World Wide WPX SSB
contest. QSL to home call.
John, W5JON and Cathy, W5HAM are on the air as V47JA and V47HAM,
respectively, from Calypso Bay in St Kitts and Nevis until the 5th of
April. Activity is on 6 to 150m bands, including 60m, using SSB. This
includes an entry in next weekend's CQ World Wide WPX SSB contest.
QSL via operators' instructions.
Kaku, JA6REX and Toshiya, JH6HZH will be active as V633KS and V633ZH,
respectively, from Chuuk Island in Micronesia, IOTA OC-011, until the
3rd of April. Activity will be on the 10 to 160m bands using CW, SSB
and RTTY with a focus on the low bands. QSL to home calls.
Now the special event news
GB0WM will be on the air from Woolsthorpe Manor, the birthplace of
Sir Isaac Newton for British Science Week today, the 19th of March.
Operated by South Kesteven ARS.
GB8EGT will be on the air from RAF Eglington in Londonderry from the
25th of March to the 9th of April, 9am-5pm. The station will be on
air holiday style. Contact Paul Lewis, MI1AIB by email to
paul.m1aib<at>gmail.com
GB8BKY will be on the air from RAF Ballykelly in Limavady from the
25th of March to the 9th of April, 9am-5pm. The station will be on
air holiday style. Contact Paul Lewis, MI1AIB by email to
paul.m1aib<at>gmail.com
Look for special event station II0CXX to be active until the 31st of
May on Saturdays during the Collins Collectors Association of Europe
Net, at 1000UTC on 7165kHz. This activity is in remembrance of the
30th anniversary of the passing of Arthur A Collins, W0CXX, founder
of the Collins Radio Company, who became a Silent Key in 1987. QSL
via IK0IXI only direct: no bureau and no eQSL.
Now the contest news
The BARTG HF RTTY Contest ends its run at 0200UTC today, the 19th.
Using the 3.5 to 28MHz bands the exchange is signal report, serial
number and time.
The Russian DX contest ends its 24 hour run at 1200UTC today, the
19th. Using CW and SSB only on the 1.8 to 28MHz bands, the exchange
is signal report and serial number, with Russian stations sending
their Oblast code.
On Tuesday the 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest takes place between 2000 to
2230UTC. Using all modes the exchange is signal report, serial number
and locator.
On Thursday the 80m Club Championships runs from 2000to 2130UTCng SSB
only the exchange is signal report and serial number.
Next weekend it's the CQ World Wide WPX SSB contest. Running for 48
hours from 0000UTC on the 25th and using all bands from 1.9 to 28MHz,
the exchange is signal report and serial number. In this contest
everyone can work everyone.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO
on Friday the 17th of March.
Despite zero sunspots and a solar flux index of only 70, there was
good DX to be had last week. This was helped by more settled
geomagnetic conditions over a period of days, thanks to a lack of
coronal hole activity. The RSGB Commonwealth Contest saw UK amateurs
making contacts into all parts of the world, although these were
primarily on 7, 14 and 21MHz. This pattern will no doubt predominate
over the next few years until we get past solar minimum.
A group of UK amateurs have been operating from Ghana as 9G5X and
have shown how this part of the year can give good north-south
propagation. They have been audible on 20 and 15 metres, and there
are even reports of very weak openings to the UK on 10m.
A look at the Solar Dynamic Observatory's extreme-ultraviolet image
of the sun on Thursday showed a coronal hole on the sun's equator,
which is rotating to be geo-effective in a few days.
NOAA predicts solar material from the hole may hit us midweek, so
look out for an elevated K index. This can be a double-edged sword,
resulting in enhanced conditions during the initial phase, before
maximum usable frequencies decline with noisy conditions follow.
The solar flux index is predicted to remain in the low to mid 70s.
And now the VHF and up propagation news.
There were some good Tropo openings last week, but this is unlikely
to last. By this weekend the high will have declined as lows move in
from the Atlantic and they will dominate the weather for much of the
coming week. Interestingly, there are signs of high pressure
returning at the end of the week, but this is handled very
differently in different weather models. One only brings the high as
far in as Ireland, while another model develops a fully-fledged high
over Scotland by next weekend. This is clearly an uncertain signal,
but at the moment the week looks much less productive for Tropo than
last week.
As we come very close to April, the seasonal ‘April showers', this
week should offer some good chances for rain scatter on the GigaHertz
bands. There is the possibility of VHF auroral activity mid week if
the K index rises as predicted.
With negative Moon declination all this week, windows are short and
the moon is at low elevation. Today is apogee so losses are at their
highest, but decreasing as the week goes on.
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
http://www.theskywaves.net http://gb7cip.ampr.org
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