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G4FVG > NEWS 16.10.22 09:47l 230 Lines 10833 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 16 Oct 2022
Path: IW8PGT<IZ3LSV<I0OJJ<EA2RCF<SR1BSZ<IW0QNL<IQ0FO<GB7COW<GB7YEW<G4FVG
Sent: 221016/0821Z 20775@G4FVG.#44.GBR.EURO LinBPQ6.0.22
As Andy/G4TNU's forwarding appears to have failed overnight, here is the RSGB news from backup files that Andy prepared earlier - our thanks as usual go to Andy for preparing and forwarding the packet edition of the news on a weekly basis.
GB2RS Main News for Sunday the 16th of October 2022
The news headlines:
* IARU President Keynote Speech at the 2022 RSGB Convention
* Celebrating 100 Years of the BBC
* New Transponder Bandplan for QO-100
Last weekend the RSGB held its first hybrid Convention which had
speakers, attendees and livestream-watchers from across the world.
The keynote presentation by IARU President Tim Ellam, VE6SH, who also
holds the callsign G4HUA, was very thought-provoking. In it he
highlighted the threats to amateur radio as well as the importance of
embracing modern techniques, whilst also being willing to adapt and
change. The Society has released a standalone recording of Tim's
presentation on its YouTube channel, combined with his interesting
Convention Chat with the RSGB and IRTS Presidents. The RSGB would
like to thank everyone who gave a presentation, as well as those who
attended the Convention, whether in person or online. It is also
grateful to the RSGB General Manager and Convention Chair Steve
Thomas, M1ACB and his hardworking Convention team who made this such
a fantastic event. Individual presentations will be released over the
coming months, first on the RSGB website for its members and then on
YouTube for everyone to see. The two livestreams have already had
thousands of views – to see either of those, or to watch Tim's
keynote speech, go to youtube.com/theRSGB
On the 18th of October 1922, the Marconi Company and other equipment
manufacturers formed the British Broadcasting Company, which became
the British Broadcasting Corporation six years later. To mark this
momentous date exactly 100 years on, members of the BBC Amateur Radio
Group have been invited by Arqiva to operate for the day at the
Daventry transmitting station that was home to so much of BBC short
wave broadcasting over the years. Members of the BBC and Arqiva clubs
will be operating HF on Tuesday the 18th of October from the Empire
Service Building at the Daventry site. As well as GB100BBC, the
callsign G2LO will be on air. 2LO was the callsign allocated to the
very first BBC transmitter, built by Marconi and located at Savoy
Hill in London. Keep an eye on the GB100BBC QRZ page for more
information.
At the 2022 AMSAT-UK Colloquium on Saturday 8th October, a new
narrowband transponder bandplan for the QO-100 geostationary amateur
satellite was announced. Among other changes, AMSAT has allocated a
new ‘broadcast' spot frequency which is intended for the news
services of amateur radio organisations. The RSGB's news service
GB2RS has been transmitted via QO-100 for some time and has already
clocked up 70 broadcasts. It is very popular, with an audience within
the footprint of the satellite which covers almost half of the
world's surface. Following this announcement, GB2RS will be moving to
the new broadcast frequency of 10489.855MHz with immediate effect.
The transmission is at 0800UTC every Sunday. Perhaps in the future,
the news services of other amateur radio organisations will follow
the RSGB's lead and make use of this special allocation to reach a
diverse international audience.
Jamboree On The Air is an annual event in which Scouts and Guides all
over the world communicate with each other via amateur radio. JOTA
2022 ends its 48-hour run at 2359UTC today, the 16th. You can find
out more at jotajoti.info
The Royal Air Force Air Cadets will be running the popular Blue Ham
Exercise on the 22nd and 23rd of October from 0800 to 1800UTC each
day. If you are a UK Full licence holder the hope is that you can set
some time aside to take part with the Cadets and Staff Volunteers who
will be ready to take your QSOs over the operating period. A Blue Ham
participation certificate for amateur operators who contact 20 or
more special MRE callsigns will be available. Details are on the
alphacharlie.org.uk portal.
And now for details of rallies and events
Today, the 16th, the Hornsea Amateur Radio Club Rally will take place
at the Driffield Showground YO25 9DW. More information at
hornseaarc.co.uk
Next Saturday, the 22nd of October, the Essex CW Boot Camp and CW
Convention takes place. The venue will be the 3rd Witham Scout and
Guide Headquarters, Powers Hall End, Witham, Essex. Doors open at
8.30am for registration and the event will run until 4.30pm. Entry is
GBP 10 and parking is free. Free drinks and cakes will be available.
If you would like to register, please email G0IBN<at>yahoo.com
The British Amateur Television Club Convention 2022 takes place next
Saturday, the 22nd, from 10am to 3pm. The event features online talks
about ATV-related topics. More at batc.org.uk/live
Now the Special Event News
Hartlepool Amateur Radio Club will be running GB0TVS on behalf of
Tees Valley North Scouts today, the 16th of October, for Jamboree On
The Air. They will be based at Hartlepool Scout Centre. The station
will be active on HF, VHF and UHF and will welcome any contacts.
Visitors are welcome on the Saturday and Sunday.
Michel, F8GGZ and other operators will be active as TM100BBC until
the 24th of October to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the BBC.
Activity will be on all modes, including EME, DMR and C4FM. QSL via
F8GGZ, direct or bureau.
Now the DX news
Today, the 16th, JE1HXZ/6 will be active from the Amami [AM-AM-EE]
Islands, AS-023. He will operate CW, SSB, RTTY, FT8 and FT4 on the
160 to 6m bands. QSL via the bureau and Logbook of the World.
A team of 15 plan to set up four HF stations for CW, SSB, RTTY, FT8,
FT4, and a QO-100 satellite station until Monday the 17th of October
on the Comoros [COM-MOR-OS] Islands in the Indian Ocean. They will be
operating as D60AE. For more information just search online for the
callsign.
Gianpi [GEE-AN-PEE], IK1TTD will be active as 8Q7TD from the
Maldives, AS-013, until Monday the 17th of October. Most of his
operating will done on 20m using FT8. QSL direct or via the bureau.
Now the contest news
Today, the 16th, the 50MHz AFS Contest runs from 0900 to 1300UTC.
Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and
locator.
Today, the Worked All Germany Contest finishes its two-day run at
1500UTC. Using CW and SSB, the exchange is signal report and serial
number. German stations also send their DOK.
Also today, the UK Microwave Group 24-76GHz Contest runs from 0900 to
1700UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial
number and locator.
On Tuesday, the 1.3GHz UKAC runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all
modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
On Thursday, the 70MHz UKAC contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using
all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
Next weekend the UKEICC DX Contest runs for 24 hours from 1200UTC on
the 22nd. Using SSB, the exchange is signal report and serial number.
UK and Irish stations also send their District Code.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO
on Friday the 14th of October 2022
We had yet another week of good HF propagation, helped by reasonably
settled geomagnetic conditions.
Although the week started relatively poorly with a Kp index of four
all day on Sunday, that soon improved slightly and the rest of the
week saw the Kp index hit only ones or twos.
The solar flux index declined from 161 on Sunday to 141 on Thursday,
which is still more than enough for 10m openings at this time of year.
Solar activity was low. Active region 3112 underwent decay but
managed several C-class flares. Region 3119 was stable and also
produced a few C-class solar flares. The other regions were
unremarkable. No Earth-directed CMEs were observed in coronagraph
imagery.
Low solar activity is expected to continue, with a chance for M-class
flares on 13-15 October.
At the RSGB Convention in Milton Keynes, the special event station
just outside the conference centre was able to work a string of US
stations on 10m just to prove that this really is the month for
Autumn DX.
The KQ2H repeater in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York on
29.620MHz has also given many people their first taste of FM on 10m,
along with characteristic phase distortion.
Other DX worked this week by well-equipped stations on 10m includes
FK4QX in New Caledonia and TX7G on the Marquesas Islands. Hopefully,
if conditions remain like this, it will make the CQ Worldwide SSB
contest on the 29th and 30th of October very interesting.
Next week NOAA predicts that the solar flux index may remain in the
high 130s. After predicting slightly unsettled geomagnetic conditions
on Saturday, NOAA says the Kp index should then fall from four to two
until Wednesday the 19th. The latter half of the week may become
reasonably unsettled again with a Kp index of four. The US Air Force,
however, predicts that this weekend should remain settled
geomagnetically – we shall have to wait and see.
And now the VHF and up propagation news
The current spell of unsettled weather will continue through much of
the coming week. There may be a hint of a temporary high over the
north and east of Britain around midweek, but this is unlikely to
benefit western areas.
Any Tropo wins will probably be across the North Sea to Scandinavia
and the Baltic region, but only from the easternmost counties of
England and Scotland. The low-pressure systems which will dominate
are likely to bring spells of heavy rain and passing showers at
times. There may be some rain scatter possibilities from this
unsettled weather, especially from heavy coastal showers.
The aurora propagation mode is always worth considering around the
autumn months, so monitor the Kp index, and meteor scatter,
particularly in the hours before dawn. The Orionids meteor shower
peaks on Friday the 21st with a medium ZHR of 20 so look out for
improved conditions around that date.
The Moon is at maximum declination today, Sunday, so Moon windows are
at their longest, shortening as the week progresses. With apogee this
coming Monday, path losses are at their highest. 144MHz sky noise is
low all week.
Finally, a word about Sporadic-E, of which you may still hear
examples on the HF bands as extra-loud short-skip from Europe.
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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