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G4TNU > NEWS 20.07.15 03:04l 251 Lines 11991 Bytes #999 (0) @ GBR
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 19 Jul 2015
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday 19th July 2015
The news headlines:
* ARISS shortlist revealed
* New Radio initiative
* Listen out for MC0RYC youngsters
The list of ten schools that will have the opportunity to contact
British ESA astronaut Tim Peake using amateur radio while he is in
orbit was revealed at the UK Space Conference earlier this week. Tim
will launch to the International Space Station this December and will
spend six months working and living on the ISS. The ARISS UK
Operations team, supported by the RSGB, will now begin work with the
shortlisted schools to prepare them for this exceptional opportunity
during the mission of the first British ESA astronaut.
At the amateur radio show in Friedrichshafen, a ‘new radio'
initiative led by the Austrian and German national societies was
launched. This highlighted that amateur radio equipment, particularly
handhelds, needs to move further into the 21st century and towards
‘smart' radios with adaptable voice flex codecs as well as a more
open applications layer, perhaps more akin to a smartphone. A website
for the initiative can be found at www.newradio.eu/
The RSGB's Youth Committee DXpedition, DX-15, will be active as
MC0RYC from the Brecon Beacons in Wales from the 23rd to the 30th of
July. Throughout the course of the week, they will be taking part in
a range of activities including operating SOTA summits. Please work
the young team if you can. The RSGB would like to thank Kenwood for
their sponsorship as well as SOTA, the RCF and the RSGB Legacy fund
for their support.
In Europe, 76 young amateur radio operators from more than 22 nations
are getting ready to share their youthful enthusiasm for the hobby at
the Youngsters on the Air summer camp in Italy from the 18th to the
25th of July. A small team of youngsters from the UK will be there.
The programme, which is a mix of educational and intercultural
events, is expected to feature a presentation on PSK, a workshop on
soldering cable connectors and a session on how to build HF wire
antennas. There will also be foxhunting and a contest with 70cm
handhelds.
ARISS SSTV images will be transmitted this weekend from the
International Space Station to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of
the Apollo-Soyuz Mission. The ARISS team has developed a series of 12
slow scan television images that will be transmitted on 145.800MHz FM
with 5kHz deviation. The images are planned to start sometime
Saturday morning, the 18th, and finish on the 19th of July. The
images can be displayed using several different SSTV computer
programs that are available on the internet. Further information is
at http://amsat-uk.org/
The RSGB Convention takes place over the 9th to the 11th of October
at Kent's Hill Conference Centre in Milton Keynes. Visitors will be
pleased to hear about two propagation-related lectures taking place.
Dr Ruth Bamford will be speaking about ionosondes that are used to
examine the ionosphere and what an eclipse can tell us. This will be
followed by Steve Nichols, G0KYA, chairman of the RSGB's propagation
committee, speaking on the sun, sunspots, solar flares, coronal mass
ejections and their effects on HF. Details can be found at
www.rsgb.org/convention
The AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium will take place at the
Holiday Inn, Guildford. On the 25th of July the lecturers will
include Professor Richard Holdaway and Professor Sir Martin Sweeting,
G3YJO, as well as Peter, DB2OS, Drew, KO4MA and Ivo, PA1IVO.
Admittance is GBP 10 for the day and car parking is free. Further
details are at http://amsat-uk.org/colloquium/
And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week
Today, the 19th, sees the McMichael Radio Rally and Car Boot Sale at
Reading Rugby Football Club, Holme Park Farm Lane, Sonning Lane,
Sonning on Thames, Reading RG4 6ST. There will be a talk in station,
free car parking and the gates open at 9.30am. Admittance is GBP 2
and there will be special interest groups, trade stands and a car
boot area. Details from Pete, G8FRC, on 01189 695 697.
As mentioned earlier, the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium
takes place from the 24th to the 26th of July at the Holiday Inn,
Guildford, GU2 7XZ. A beginners session is scheduled for Friday 24th
and an active satellite ground station will be in operation. The 25th
has a wide range of lectures. More information at http://amsat-uk.org.
On the 26th of July the Horncastle Summer Rally will be held in the
Horncastle Youth Centre, Lincolnshire LN9 6DZ. Doors open at 10.30am
and admission is GBP 1.50. More details from Tony, G3ZPU on
01507 527 835.
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.
Now the special event news
Wearside Electronics Amateur Radio Society is running GB4SAS from the
Roker life boat station, in the marina North Dock, SR6 0PW, for the
Sunderland Air Show on the 25th and 26th of July. Activity will be on
all HF bands as well as 2m and 70cm. Visitors are most welcome.
A World War II special event commemorative station has been set up in
Brazil by Ronaldo, PS7AB. PV70FEB will be on the air until the 30th
of July to honour the importance of peace and commemorates the
Brazilian Expeditionary Force on Italy's battlefields. Certificates
will be sent in 2016 via email to all stations who complete contacts
with at least 10 special event stations on SSB, digital or CW. QSL
via PS7AB, direct with $2, by the Bureau, eQSL or Logbook of The
World.
And now the DX news compiled from 425 DX News and other sources
G5O will be operating as GI5O from the East Lighthouse, Rathlin
Island, IOTA reference EU-122, from the 24th to the 26th of July,
primarily for the IOTA Contest.
Jean-Paul, HB9ARY, is working Mauritius, AF-049, and operating as
3B8HC until the 25th of July. Activity will include some slow CW but
mainly SSB on all HF bands, from 80 to 6 meters. QSL via NI5DX direct.
Radio Scouters Stuart, G6CJR, Denis, M0NDJ and Claire, G8ULQ will be
operating 8N23WSJ at the 23rd World Scout in Japan. The Jamboree will
be taking place from the 28th of July until the 8th of August. They
expect to be operating all the popular HF bands, 24 hours a day,
conditions permitting. Please look out for them.
The F6KOP Team will be active from Les Minquiers, EU-099, from the
25th to the 29th of July with four SSB/CW stations from 80 to 6m. QSL
via the bureau, OQRS or direct via F6KOP.
G8OFQ will be active stroke HC8 from the Galapagos Islands until the
30th of September. Operations will be on 160 through to 6 meters but
no times or modes have been mentioned. QSL via HA3JB.
PY8WW will be operating from Caviana Island, SA-042, from the 22nd to
29th July. His operating site only has an elevation of 1m above sea
level but listen out for him particularly in the IOTA contest. See
www.paradxgroup.com
Aeriel, NY4G will be active as FP/NY4G until the 23th of July from St
Pierre and Miquelon Islands. Activity will be mainly on CW and logs
will be uploaded to Club Log and Logbook of The World. QSLing will be
available via Club Log OQRS.
Now the contest news
Today, the 19th, is host to several contests. Running from 0900 to
1600UTC, the RSGB Low Power Contest is on the 3.5 and 7MHz bands
using CW only. The exchange is signal report, serial number and power
level.
The UK Microwave Group contest runs from 0900 to 1700UTC today on the
24 to 248GHz bands. The exchange is signal report, serial number and
locator.
Finally for today, the 70MHz trophy that runs from 1000 to 1600UTC.
Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number,
locator and postcode.
On Tuesday, the UHF UK Activity Contest takes place from 1900 to
2130UTC. Using all modes on the 1.3GHz band the exchange is signal
report, serial number and locator.
On Thursday it's the turn of the data leg of the popular 80m Club
Championships running from 1900 to 2030UTC. The exchange is signal
report and serial number.
Next weekend is the RSGB's flagship Islands on the Air Contest. It
takes place for 24 hours from 1200UTC on the 25th using SSB and CW
only on the 3.5 to 28MHz bands. Everyone who lives in the British
Isles lives on an island and so will be in demand that weekend.
Exchange a signal report, serial number and your island reference.
Mainland Britain is EU-005, mainland Ireland is EU-115, while the
smaller islands have different reference that can be found at
www.qrz.com/i/iota.html
Also next weekend, on the 26th, the UK Microwave Group contest takes
place from 0600 to 1800UTC. Using the 5.7 and 10GHz bands the
exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO
on Friday the 17th of July.
The sun continues to be unsettled as we slide down from the peak of
solar cycle 24. This is to be expected as the downward portion of any
cycle tends to throw up more solar flares and coronal mass ejections.
The 12th and 13th were quite unsettled, with the Kp index reaching
five on Monday due to an elevated solar wind stream and a prolonged
period of the interplanetary magnetic field having a southward-facing
component.
When the so-called Bz points south we are more likely to get coupling
of solar plasma with the earth's magnetic field and therefore
unsettled conditions. The solar flux index declined this week with
only two spots visible as group 2381 rotated out of view. Coming
around the limb though is another spot, although early signs are that
this is quite stable. Next week we can expect the solar flux index to
continue around 100 with reasonably settled geomagnetic conditions
and a Kp index of around two.
In addition to Sporadic-E openings on the higher HF bands we may see
possible short-path F2 layer openings up to 24MHz. Paths may exist to
Western Australia on 18MHz or even 21MHz around 0700-0800, but these
may have a maximum probability of only around 32%. Around noon, the
probability of a contact rises to 50% on 15m.
And now the VHF and up propagation news.
Sporadic-E was a little quiet last week, with mainly intra-European
paths. From QSO reports, tropo was slightly enhanced but seems to
have favoured stations further south than the UK, with openings via
the Azores' high. For both modes it's been a case of being there at
the right time. Don't give up, it's still the prime season for
Sporadic-E and summer Tropo.
Sporadic-E is going to behave slightly differently next week, since
the main jet stream is migrating further north to be over Northern
Europe or Scandinavia by the second half of the week. This will
probably favour Sporadic-E openings into the Baltic and Scandinavia,
rather than to the southeast into the Balkans and Italy.
In the coming week, there will be a large, but weak, area of high
pressure over the near continent, but with the main Azores high
dominating across Biscay and the nearby Atlantic west of Portugal.
This should offer some reasonable Tropo sea paths to Spain, Portugal,
Canaries and Azores. Later in the week there could be sea Tropo to
the east and land paths across to the continent should show some
enhancement overnight and for a short period after dawn.
Slow-moving isolated thunderstorms, and perhaps heavier showers over
northern Britain mean that there may be rain scatter opportunities on
the higher bands on some days.
And that's all from the propagation team for 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.
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