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G4APL > NEWS 15.01.23 09:11l 252 Lines 11799 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 15 Jan 2023
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Sent: 230115/0809Z @:GB7CIP.#32.GBR.EURO #:38420 [Caterham Surrey GBR]
From: G4APL@GB7CIP.#32.GBR.EURO
To : NEWS@EU
GB2RS Main News for Sunday the 15th of January 2023
The news headlines:
* M0RWX activates all G summits in one year
* Direct to Full exams
* New display at the RSGB's National Radio Centre at Bletchley
Park
Robert, M0RWX from Malmesbury, Wiltshire activated every single SOTA
summit in England, within the calendar year of 2022. This is an
unprecedented achievement, but it doesn't end there. Robert also
activated extensively in France, Scotland and Wales and a little in
Benelux, during 2022, recording a total of 326 activations, and a
mammoth 1476 activator points in the year – almost 1.5 Mountain
Goats. Robert is now targeting an activator completion of Wales
during 2023 and, thereafter, spending longer on each summit,
experimenting with more bands and modes. For more information about
Summits on the Air please visit sota.org.uk
Bookings for the Direct to Full exam are now open. The exam can only
be taken online but can be booked by individuals or clubs. Go to the
RSGB's exam booking page and follow the process for an individual or
club booking. The Society has also published a mock paper for the
Direct to Full exam which can be found at rsgb.org/mock-exams
After several months in restoration and development, a Wheatstone
Tape Perforator and Wheatstone High Speed Morse Transmitter have gone
on display in the RSGB's National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park.
Used extensively from the 1940s until at least the late 1960s such
systems enabled the transmission of Morse signals either via
telegraph or by wireless at consistently high speeds, without errors,
such that might have been introduced by hand sent Morse. The display
is connected to an audio oscillator so, with a push button on the
outside of the display case, visitors are able to start the
transmitter, see the paper tape being read, and hear Morse characters
being sent.
The RSGB's National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park is looking to
create a new wall display, illustrating some simple radio set-ups, to
inspire newcomers to get started in amateur radio. If you would like
to have a photo of your radio shack on display, please send in a good
quality image, showing you operating your radio, or your radio bench.
The radio shack could be located anywhere from your loft, to your
back bedroom, garden shed, car or on a mountain top. Remember, the
point of this project is to inspire people to get started in the
hobby, so the photos need to show a diverse mix of operators and the
radio set-up shouldn't be overly complex. The most suitable photos
will be selected and a montage display created, with the title: Take
a look at my radio station. If you would like to enter, send your
photos to: nrc.support<at>rsgb.org.uk
The Online Amateur Radio Community provides amateur radio licence
training via Zoom. The next Intermediate course is due to commence
during the first week of February. The course, which costs GBP 5 to
join, will run for eight weeks. The next Full licence training course
will start on Wednesday the 17th of April and run for nine weeks. The
fee for the Full course is also GBP 5. For further information please
visit www.oarc.uk
The GB2RS news service would like to increase the coverage of VHF FM
and SSB broadcasts in Northern Ireland. Applicants must be an RSGB
member holding a Full or Intermediate licence. If you would like to
find out more, without obligation, please get in touch with the GB2RS
News Manager, Steve G4HPE, via gb2rs.manager<at>rsgb.org.uk More
information about the RSGB's news service can be found at
rsgb.org/gb2rsschedule
Following the recent items in The Times and on the BBC Radio 4 PM
programme about a rise in the use of Morse Code in America, the RSGB
contacted BBC Three Counties Radio and arranged an interview for
Mervyn Foster, G4KLE. Mervyn is a volunteer at the RSGB National
Radio Centre, an RSGB District Representative and a life-long devotee
of Morse Code. He spoke to Andy Collins on the breakfast show on
Friday the 13th of January. You can listen to the interview on BBC
Sounds where it starts at one hour and fifty-three minutes into the
programme.
And now for details of rallies and events
The Lincoln Shortwave Club Winter Radio Rally will be held on Sunday
the 29th of January at The Festival Hall, Caistor Road, Market Rasen,
LN8 3HT. Doors open at 9.30am and entry is GBP 2. Refreshments are
available on site and talk-in is available on 145.375MHz. For more
information email Graham via contact<at>m1dhv.co.uk
The Canvey Rally will be held on the 5th of February at Cornelius
Vermuyden [VER-MOW-DEN] School, Dinant Avenue, Canvey, Essex,
SS8 9QS. The Rally is expected to be the usual hive of activity with
plenty of traders and an indoor boot sale. Hot food and drinks will
be available. Contact sears.enquiries<at>gmail.com for further
information.
The Mid Cheshire Amateur Radio Society Radioactive Fair will be held
on Sunday the 12th of February. The venue will be Nantwich Civic
Hall, Market Street, Nantwich, CW5 5DG. Doors open at 10am and
admission is GBP 5. A wide variety of trader stalls, a bring-and-buy
platform and refreshments and snacks will be available. Parking is
immediately adjacent to the hall. For more information visit
radioactivefair.co.uk
Now the Special Event News
Today, the 15th, is the last chance to work special callsign PD23HNY.
The station is active from The Netherlands in celebration of the New
Year. QSL cards will not be issued but a certificate will be
available for download.
Today is also the last chance to log special callsigns SP90ENIGMA and
SP90ENG. Both stations are operating to mark the 90th anniversary of
Polish cryptologists' first successes in breaking the Enigma code.
Throughout the month of January 2023, Weston-super-Mare Radio Society
will be operating special callsign GB4WSM in celebration of the 100th
Anniversary of the Society's formation on the 3rd of January 1923.
Special event station GB2KW will be active until the 28th of January.
The station, located near Inverness in Scotland, will be using
vintage equipment manufactured by KW Electronics Limited during the
1960s and 70s. QSL via Logbook of the World.
Now the DX news
Earl, WA3DX will be active from Senegal until the 20th of January.
He will operate FT8 and some SSB on the 40 to 10m bands. QSL via
Logbook of the World or directly to his home call.
Harald, DF2WO will be active as D44TWO from Sao Tiago [SOW-DIAGO],
AF-005, Cape Verde until the 21st of January. He will operate FT8,
some SSB and some CW on the 160 to 6m bands, and via the QO-100
satellite. QSL via M0OXO's OQRS account.
John, N9EAJ plans to be active as HC1FIT from a mountaintop location
near the city of Otavalo [OTA-VALO] in the Imbabura [IM-BAB-URA]
Province of Ecuador until the 22nd of January. He will be operating
SSB and some CW on the 40 to 10m bands. QSL directly to N9EAJ.
Now the contest news
The UK Six Metre Group Winter Marathon began on Thursday the 1st of
December. The contest will run until the 31st of January 2023. Using
all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report and locator.
Today, the 15th, the RSGB Affiliated Societies 80 and 40m Datamodes
Contest runs from 1300 to 1700UTC. Using PSK63 and RTTY, the exchange
is signal report and serial number.
On Tuesday the 17th of January, the 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest runs
from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report,
serial number and locator.
On Thursday the 19th of January, the 70MHz UK Activity Contest runs
from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report,
serial number and locator.
On Saturday the 21st of January, the RSGB Affiliated Societies 80m
and 40m SSB Contest runs from 1300 to 1700UTC. Using SSB only, the
exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO
on Friday the 13th of January 2023
It seems X-class solar flares appear like buses; you wait for ages
and then three turn up at once! Over the last week, we have had
X-class flares on the 7th, 9th and 10th.
The latest, at the time of writing, saw sunspot region 3186 rotate
into view off the Sun's northeast limb and produce an X1.0 solar
flare at 2247UTC on the 10th. It may have thrown some plasma into
space in the form of a coronal mass ejection but, as it is not yet
directly facing Earth, any associated coronal mass ejection was
likely directed away from us.
Over the coming days it will become Earth-facing and more activity is
expected, with sudden ionospheric disturbances and coronal mass
ejections becoming the norm. If this does occur, expect the MUF to
take a dive, perhaps only for 20 minutes to an hour, if X-ray
radiation from a flare impacts us, and for a day or so if a coronal
mass ejection hits us.
So, although we currently have an SFI in the 190s, it will be
hit-and-miss as to whether HF propagation will be good or bad. The
best advice is to monitor the bands and don't be surprised if we have
some fallow days if the Kp index rises.
Excitement is building as the 3Y0J Bouvet DXpedition team is on its
way. At the time of writing, they had reached Cape Verde en route to
the Falkland Islands. Then they have a long boat trip with departure
estimated for the 14th of January. Depending on the weather, expect
them to be operating from late January for 22 days. We'll take a
close look at HF propagation to Bouvet in a later GB2RS report.
Meanwhile, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index is unlikely to
remain as high as it is. It says it may drop into the 150s, although
its predictions haven't been too accurate recently. Nevertheless, 150
is still admirable. Let's hope that the Kp index stays low to give
the best hope of DX on the upper HF bands.
And now the VHF and up propagation news
The unsettled weather pattern remains in place for the coming week
and the main changes concern a deeper low in the sequence being
strong enough to bring a temporary burst of colder northerlies.
This seems possible later this weekend and early next week. In terms
of propagation, it's looking like rain- or snow-scatter for the GHz
bands will be the more likely mode. There is a possibility of some
high pressure to the south after mid-week, over France and Biscay,
but only reachable from the southern fringes of the British Isles
with very limited tropo options.
There has been some strong Sporadic-E showing on the Dourbes graphs
on propquest.co.uk on occasions, but we are coming towards the end of
the mid-winter Es window this week.
Random meteor scatter and aurora are both options this week. The
minor Gamma-Ursae-Minorids meteor shower reaches a low maximum on the
18th. As usual, look to benefit from the pre-dawn peak of random
meteors.
The Sun is very disturbed, so you'll need to track the daily
behaviour of the Kp index for aurora prospects. Ideally, it should be
five or preferably higher for aurora.
The Moon reaches maximum negative declination this coming Thursday,
and at perigee on Saturday, so EME path losses are low and Moon
availability windows are short. 144MHz sky noise increases all week,
peaking at over 2000 Kelvin on Thursday.
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.
Our thanks to Andy G4TNU for providing this RSGB feed.
--
g4apl@gb7cip.ampr.org g4apl@gb7cip.#32.gbr.euro
https://www.theskywaves.net http://gb7cip.ampr.org
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