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G4TNU > NEWS 31.01.16 03:02l 208 Lines 9571 Bytes #999 (0) @ GBR
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 31 Jan 2016
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday 31st January 2016
The news headlines:
* New CEO for ARRL
* VP8STI Shuts Down Early
* Amateurs help in USA snowstorms
Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, of West Palm Beach, Florida, will succeed David
Sumner, K1ZZ, as the chief executive officer of ARRL, effective April
18. In that role, he will oversee all activities at ARRL Headquarters
in Newington, Connecticut. Meeting in a special webinar session on
January 25, all 15 ARRL Directors voted to elect Gallagher as CEO and
Secretary, positions that Sumner will relinquish on April 18.
Gallagher will join the ARRL staff as CEO-Elect on February 29, and a
transition period will follow.
After managing to recover from the effects of a fierce South Atlantic
storm, an emergency resulting from the storm has forced the VP8STI
team back to their transport vessel, the R/V Braveheart. They were
able to remove all of the VP8STI equipment from Southern Thule on the
26th of January. The DXpedition team is now headed for South Georgia,
AN-007, where it plans to operate for 8 days as VP8SGI.
Last weekend's severe snowstorms in the United States saw many
Amateur Radio Emergency Service volunteers on standby in case of
need. Nets were set up on 40m plus VHF and UHF repeaters, using a
variety of modes. The Great South Bay Amateur Radio Club took part in
storm-related operations on Long Island, New York.
The AggieSat4 satellite carrying the University of Texas CubeSat
Bevo-2 is expected to be deployed from the International Space
Station on January 29. Both have amateur radio payloads. After
release, AGS4 will eject Bevo-2 and perform relative navigation tasks
as well as take pictures of the release of Bevo-2. The IARU has
coordinated these frequencies for the amateur radio payloads.
AggieSat4 transmits 9k6 or 153.6 kbps FSK on 436.250.MHz, and Bevo-2
transits CW and 38k4 FSK on 437.325MHz.
Papers for the forthcoming IARU Region 1 interim meeting that will be
held in April are now available. Topics include HF, VHF, microwave
and EMC matters. Comments from UK amateurs are invited via the RSGB
IARU Consultations forum, which includes guidance and links to the
papers.
[ Note to Newsreaders: the link is
http://rsgb.org/main/rsgb-consultations/iaru-consultations/ ]
VK amateurs are trialling an experimental digital retransmission of
the Wireless Institute of Australia's news service. Operating under
its club callsign VK5ARG, the Amateur Radio Experimenters Group is
transmitting via the FreeDV-1600 mode on 7.177MHz LSB from 2230UTC.
There are several free, open source software packages compatible with
FreeDV, which can be used to receive the transmissions. Following the
news there is a callback net on the same frequency that gives
amateurs the opportunity to experiment further with the mode. More
information on the transmissions can be found at the Amateur Radio
Experimenters Group website, www.areg.org.au and details of the mode
can be found at www.freedv.org
Staying with technology, a new app has been written for the Apple
Watch that lets users compose SMS text messages using Morse code. The
app was written by Patryk Laurent, a cognitive scientist working at
the Brain Corporation in San Diego. So far the app does not appear to
be available for download, but a screenshot seen online suggests its
working title is "PAKLMORSE2". There is no word yet on whether it can
be interfaced with any amateur radio equipment, however it may point
the way for a future possibility.
[ Note to Newsreaders: a video of the watch can be seen at
https://youtu.be/wydT9V39SLo ]
And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week
Today, the Horncastle Winter Rally takes place at Horncastle Youth
Centre, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6DZ. The event supports the
Wolds Repeater Group and GB3FJ. The venue is all on one level and
doors open at 10.30am. Admission is GBP 1.50. There will be
refreshments available, including hot bacon butties. Details from
Tony Nightingale, G3ZPU on 01507 527 835.
Next Sunday the Canvey Radio & Electronics Rally takes place at The
Paddocks, Long Road, Canvey Island, Essex SS8 0JA, which is on the
southern end of A130. The venue has disabled facilities, is served by
public transport and also has free car parking. Doors open at
10.30am. There will be radio and electronic component exhibitors,
special interest groups and an RSGB bookstall. Details from Vic
Rogers, G6BHE on 07957 461 694.
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
We have no news of special event stations this week.
And now the DX news compiled from 425 DX News and other sources
Dagoberto, CE5COX will operate as 3G9JA from Hornos Island from 1st
to 6th February. This one counts as SA-031 for the Islands on the Air
Award. QSLs go to CE5JA.
Roly, ZL1BQD will be on the air from Raratonga, OC-013, in the South
Cook Islands until the 7th of February. He is using the callsign
E51RJR on CW on all bands from 80m to 10m. QSL to his home call.
Stan, WS5K will be active as 5H2SF from Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania
from 26th January to 10th February.
Jean-Paul, HB9ARY will operate holiday-style as 3B8HC from Mauritius,
AF-049, until the 8th of February. He will be on all bands from 80m
to 10m, with priority given to 80m. QSL direct to NI5DX.
Gene, N9SW will sign FJ/N9SW from the Caribbean island of St
Barthelemy, NA-146, until the 9th of February. He will mainly be on
CW and cards go to his home call.
Now the contest news
The CQ World Wide 160m DX CW contest comes to a close tonight, having
run for 48 hours from 10pm on Friday the 29th. Exchange a signal
report and your CQ Zone, which is 14 for the UK. American and
Canadian stations will send their State/Province code.
The 2016 series of 80m Club Championship contests starts on the 1st
of February. Monday's SSB leg runs from 2000 to 2130UTC and the
exchange is RS plus serial number.
The 144MHz UKAC is on Tuesday, from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes
on the 2m band, the exchange is RST, serial number and locator.
On Wednesday the UKEICC 80m SSB contest runs from 2000 to 2100UTC.
The exchange is your 4-character locator and you must submit your log
within one hour of the end of the contest. Provisional results will
be posted shortly thereafter.
Next Sunday the 432MHz AFS contest takes place from 0900 to 1300UTC.
Using all modes n the 70cm band, the exchange is RST, serial number
and locator. This is the final event in the 2015-2016 Super League
series so it's your last chance to top up your points.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G4BAO and G3YLA
on Friday 29th January.
Solar activity was a little more settled last week. The solar flux
index was in the range 104-113 and the K index was mainly around one
or two later in the week, after reaching four on Sunday.
This week the solar flux index is predicted to remain in the range
100-118, with lower activity on Friday the 5th and Saturday the 6th.
The K index will be mostly settled, but possibly reaching four on
Tuesday or Wednesday.
During this past week the noon critical frequency as measured by the
Chilton Ionosonde reached 7.5MHz on Wednesday, offering a maximum
usable frequency over 3,000km of about 27MHz. Ten and twelve metres
have shown some activity with Bob, VP8LP on the Falkland Islands
making an appearance at times.
Staying with the South Atlantic, the VP8SGI DXpedition should
hopefully be on the air this week from South Georgia Island. On 7MHz
and 14MHz, the best times for working them will be on 40m after
midnight and 20m in the late evening and early hours of the morning.
During daytime, all the upper HF bands may offer opportunities, with
even the possibility of a 10m opening from around 1000 to 1500 UTC.
The optimum band, with a 90% probability of an opening, is 15m during
late morning.
And now the VHF and up propagation news.
The hoped-for tropo didn't materialise last week and the charts look
very unsettled again. Later in the week one of the weather models
predicts a small high in the cold air over northern Britain, but
others are less convinced and maintain a much larger high near the
Azores. Any useful ridging from this extending into the continent to
give some tropo across the Mediterranean, France and Iberia is sadly
just out of reach from the UK.
The Moon reaches minimum declination on Friday so we will have short
moon windows and low elevations with losses still quite high.
We are still in the early-year minimum of random meteor rates, so
persistence and early morning activity is still the order of the day
for meteor scatter operators.
Overall then, it is not looking promising for any significant tropo,
but perhaps other modes will come to our rescue like rain scatter on
the GHz bands or possibly aurora. This is perhaps a good week to try
some satellite QSOs if you want to keep your VHF and up QSO rates
ticking over.
And that's all this week from the propagation team.
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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