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G4TNU > NEWS 31.03.19 13:43l 262 Lines 12692 Bytes #999 (0) @ GBR
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 31 Mar 2019
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday 31st March 2019
The news headlines:
* Join the Cricket World Cup Marathon
* Fierce storm delays Bouvet Island DXpedition
* 5MHz Newsreader wanted
The RSGB is hosting an international amateur radio marathon event on
the HF bands to celebrate this year's Cricket World Cup, which is
being held in England and Wales. The marathon will run from the 30th
of May to the 14th of July. The RSGB Contest Club is looking for more
volunteers to help co-ordinate the special event callsigns, but now
is also a great time to join the list of operators and sign up so
that you will be ready to operate. Full details are at
www.rsgb.org/cricket and if you want to get involved, email
contestclub<at>rsgbcc.org.
The much-anticipated 3Y0I Bouvet Island DXpedition has run into
difficulties before having a chance to approach the island. Winds as
high as 170km/h, that's 105 mph, caused damage to their ship, the MV
Atlantic Tuna, which is now heading back to Cape Town for assessment
and repairs. The team is stressing that this setback represents a
postponement, not a cancellation. Despite losing both antennas in the
storm, E51DOM/mm is now back on the air and giving a taste of what
signals from Bouvet could – and will – be like.
A vacancy has arisen for a GB2RS newsreader on the 5MHz team.
Transmissions are on a rota basis, each Sunday afternoon at 1500 UTC,
on 5398.5kHz USB. If you are interested, please contact the RSGB
GB2RS News Service Manager, Ken Hatton, G3VBA, via email to
gb2rs.manager<at>rsgb.org.uk. Note that a Full licence is required
for 5MHz operation.
Would you like to help shape the direction of the RSGB in the future?
Then why not stand as a Director and become a Board member? Details
of what's involved can be found on pages 6 and 7 of the January 2019
RadCom. For an informal discussion, please contact the Chairman, Ian
Shepherd, G4EVK, via email to g4evk<at>rsgb.org.uk, by Monday the
15th of April at the latest.
British Summertime started at 1am this morning. with the clocks
jumping forward to 2am. Domestic clocks should now read one hour
ahead of UTC.
At the RSGB AGM on the 27th of April there will be a fascinating talk
on the world's first geostationary amateur radio satellite,
Es'hailsat-2, also known as QO-100. Noel Matthews, G8GTZ and Dave
Crump, G8GKQ will explain the history of the project, its space
launch in February 2019, the equipment you need to work it, plus a
demonstration of listening to the satellite via the internet. See
www.rsgb.org/agm for details.
Whilst we're on the subject of the AGM, we would like to remind RSGB
Members that they can vote online on the various Resolutions. Details
of these are in the April issue of RadCom and on the RSGB website at
www.rsgb.org/agm2019.
Advance notice now of a couple of major events in the coming months.
This year's International Marconi Day will take place on the 27th of
April. Stations are invited to help celebrate Marconi's birthday by
operating from sites that are closely associated with him, or from
which he himself operated. For more information, or to register your
station, go to www.gb4imd.co.uk. Separately, SOS Radio Week will take
place throughout May. The event highlights the amazing work of the
RNLI and honours the volunteer Watchkeepers of the National
Coastwatch Institution. Individual amateurs and clubs are invited to
register as official SOS Radio Week stations. For more information
see www.sosradioweek.org.uk
And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week
Today, the 31st, the first British Amateur Television Club Regional
Convention takes place in Bristol. It will be hosted by North Bristol
ARC at SHE7 building, Braemar Crescent, Filton, Bristol BS7 0TD.
Doors open from 10am to 4pm. There will be a full day of talks &
demonstrations, with a test bench available for visitors' projects.
Further information is at https://forum.batc.org.uk or from Shaun,
G8VPG, on 01225 873 098
Also next Sunday, the Pencoed Radio Club Table Top Sale takes place
from 9.30am at Pencoed Rugby Club, The Verlands, Felindre Road,
Pencoed CF35 5PB. Refreshments are available on site. Details from
Madeline Roberts on 0773 837 5775.
Next Saturday, the 6th of April, the GMDX convention takes place at
the King Robert Hotel, Whins of Milton, Stirling. Registration
commences at 10.30am, with the GMDX AGM taking place shortly
thereafter. The Convention includes a series of excellent lectures on
DX and technical subjects, followed by the famous DX Dinner from 8pm.
Details are at www.gmdx.org.uk
Next Sunday, the 7th, the Cambridge Repeater Group Rally takes place
at Foxton Village Hall, Hardman Road, Cambridge CB22 6RN. There will
be a talk in station and car parking is free. Doors open 9.30am and
entry is GBP 2. There will be traders, a Bring & Buy and an RSGB
bookstall. A burger van has been booked for on-site catering. Contact
Lawrence, M0LCM on 07941 972 724 or see www.cambridgerepeaters.net
Also next Sunday, the thirty-fifth Yeovil ARC QRP Convention takes
place at Digby Hall, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3AA. Doors open at 9.30am
and admission is GBP 3. No dogs can be admitted except Guide Dogs.
The event is supported by the RSGB, RAFARS and BYLARA. There will be
club stands as well as new and secondhand stalls. Two talks are
scheduled: A Remarkable Very Young Lady Radio Amateur and An
Introduction of Mag Loops. Refreshments will be available on site.
Contact Bob Harris, G8UED via wjh069<at>gmail.com or see
http://Yeovil-arc.com.
Now, advance notice that the National Museum of Computing at
Bletchley Park will be holding its first-ever ElectroJumble on Sunday
the 21st of April. Over the years they have accumulated many bits and
pieces that are surplus to requirements. Items for sale will include
test equipment, military items, domestic radios, telecommunication
equipment and vintage components. Details can be found via
www.tnmoc.org
To get your event into RadCom, onto GB2RS and on the RSGB website,
please send details as early as possible to radcom<at>rsgb.org.uk –
we need to know about four months in advance for RadCom.
And now the DX news from 425 DX News and other sources
Dagmar, DM7PQ / E51NPQ and Rainer, DL1AUZ / E51AUZ will be active
holiday-style from Rarotonga, IOTA reference OC-013, in the South
Cooks from 2-11 April. They will operate CW only.
Darek, SP3DX will be active as 8Q7DM from Lankanfinolhu Island in the
Maldives, AS-013, from the 1st to the 7th of April. Activities will
be on 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10m, SSB and FT8. QSL via SP3DX.
Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Norfolk Island
Act, the VI9NI Team of VK3QB, VK3HJ, VK2PN and VK3BDX will be active
from Norfolk Island, OC-005, from the 1st to the 14th of April. They
will operate on 160 to 17m, FT8, CW and SSB. QSL via VK4FW.
Harald, DF2WO will be on the air again as XT2AW from Burkina Faso,
from the 7th to the 26th of April. He will operate on 160 to 10m,
using CW, SSB and digital modes. QSL via M0OXO direct, OQRS.
Now the special event news
The Windmill Amateur Radio DX Group will put GB1RY on the air on the
6th and 7th of April. Operating from RAF Ramsbury near Marlborough in
Wiltshire, they are taking part in Airfields on the Air. Many other
stations are expected to take part in the event, for which you will
find full details at www.rafars.org/rafaota/
Pontefract & District ARS will operate GB4SL to mark the visit of
cosmonaut Gennady Padalka. He will give a talk in Pontefract on the
6th April; the special event station will be on the air for 28 days
around this date. Gennady Padalka has spent a record 879 cumulative
days in space, over five missions from 1985 to 2015. More information
on the talk, for which tickets are still available, can be found at
www.space-lectures.com
Please send special event details to radcom<at>rsgb.org.uk, as early
as possible, for free publicity on GB2RS, in RadCom and online.
Remember that UK stations with special event callsigns must be open
to the public, so our free publicity can help make your efforts more
widely known.
Now the contest news
This weekend sees the CQWW WPX SSB contest that started at 0000UTC on
Saturday and ends at 2359UTC today, Sunday. This SSB-only event uses
all the contest bands from 1.8 to 28MHz. The exchange is signal
report and serial number.
On Monday it's the RSGB 80m CW Club Championships. Running from 1900
to 2030UTC on the 3.5MHz band only, the exchange is signal report and
serial number.
Tuesday is busy on two metres. From 1800 to 1855UTC it's the 144MHz
MGMAC, using machine-generated modes. The exchange is signal report,
serial number and your 4-character locator. Also from 1800 to
1855UTC, the 144MHz FMAC uses FM only, exchanging signal report,
serial number and locator. From 1900 to 2130UTC it's the 144MHz UKAC,
using all modes. The exchange is signal report, serial number and
locator.
Wednesday sees the UKEICC 80m contest from 1900 to 2000UTC. Using SSB
only on the 3.5MHz band, the exchange is your 4-character locator.
The 24-hour SP DX contest runs from 1500UTC next Saturday. Using CW
or SSB on the 1.8 to 28MHz contest bands, the exchange is signal
report and serial number. SP stations also send their Province code.
Next Sunday the RSGB RoLo HF Championship event takes place. Starting
at 1930 and ending at 2030UTC, this SSB contest uses the 80m band
only. The exchange is signal report plus the locator you received.
Also next Sunday, the First 70MHz contest runs from 0900 to 1200UTC.
Using all modes on the 4m band, signal report, serial number and
locator form the exchange.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA & G4BAO on
Friday the 29th of March.
Last week the predicted increased Kp index from a coronal hole didn't
amount to much. The coronal mass ejection from the Sun a few days
earlier wasn't quite Earth-facing so we dodged the bullet. Other than
that, conditions have been quite settled with a maximum Kp index of
three caused by an enhanced solar wind. This was due to a co-rotating
interaction region, or CIR, on the Sun, followed by the onset of an
isolated, negative polarity coronal hole high speed stream. Elevated
solar wind conditions are expected to continue until Friday 29th
March, before declining.
The Sun has remained spotless after sunspot group number 2736 left
the visible disk and looks set to continue. As we head into April.
NOAA has the Sun remaining settled with a solar flux index at 70 and
the Kp index sitting at two or three. This means reasonable radio
conditions, just in time for the CQ SSB WPX contest this weekend. And
don't forget that if you don't like contests there are always the
WARC bands, although 17m may struggle to open at times.
And now the VHF and up propagation news.
It looks as though we continue into next week with high pressure
dominating much of the country, especially south western areas. This
should continue to provide some Tropo, but slowly becoming less
noticeable as the week progresses. Various models show low pressure
close to northern Scotland at times, so this region is less likely to
benefit from any Tropo.
There is a possibility of a few sharp showers, particularly at the
end of next week – it is April, after all! These can be good for
rain scatter propagation on the GHz bands.
The Moon is at apogee today, its furthest point from the Earth, so
EME path losses will start to fall. Declination is negative and goes
positive again on Friday, so we'll see Moon windows lengthening with
rising moon elevations and decreasing path losses.
There's still a while to wait before we see the return of Sporadic-E,
so work on your antenna systems for when it restarts. Remember that
Sporadic-E can be a great opportunity for VHFers to improve their
Morse skills. Give your brain a workout while the rest of the world
is staring at computer screens and clicking a mouse.
Finally, there's always plenty of DX opportunities on the satellites.
While we have our marvellous geostationary, QO-100, there are still
the low orbit birds to challenge you.
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 radcom<at>rsgb.org.uk to arrive by
10:00 on the Thursday before transmission.
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