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G4APL > NEWS 19.02.17 02:01l 267 Lines 12685 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 19 Feb 2017
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Sent: 170218/2336Z @:GB7CIP.#32.GBR.EURO #:35435 [Caterham Surrey GBR]
From: G4APL@GB7CIP.#32.GBR.EURO
To : NEWS@EU
GB2RS Main News for Sunday 19th February 2017
The news headlines:
* RSGB publishes band plan
* Plan your Museums on the Air station
* RSGB new video page
The RSGB has published the 2017 Band Plans in RadCom and online.
These consolidate earlier changes made in June 2016 and just add one
important change with respect to UK usage of 5MHz. For the 60m band a
new footnote has been added that states that internal UK-only
contacts should now be conducted outside of the new WRC-15 range in
line with the IARU Region 1 band plan for that narrow segment. Full
details can be found on the On The Air/Operating section of the RSGB
website.
It's not too soon to start planning your International Museums
Weekends scheduled for later this year. The dates for your diary are
the 17th and 18th then the 24th and 25th of June. More details about
the event can be found at www.radio-amateur-events.org/ Also at this
address are details of the International Air Ambulance Week in
September. Registration, for both events, is now open.
The RSGB has launched a new video page that brings its full range of
videos together in one place. Go to www.rsgb.org/video to see
promotional films about amateur radio, RSGB convention lectures and
videos commemorating special events. They are freely available for
you to download but please read the RSGB's conditions of use first.
Sad news that Dave Powis, G4HUP became a silent key on the 9th of
February. Dave was a well-respected tutor and mentor and a very
active member of several radio clubs, mentoring many candidates to
gaining their amateur radio licences. He joined the Examinations
Standards Committee in 2007 and spent much of 2016 working with the
Exam Group on revising the licence syllabuses. Late in 2016 he became
RSGB Exam Standards Committee Chairman and was just beginning to
bring his newest ideas to bear. He also was well-known for the
excellent surface mount soldering classes at the RSGB Convention in
recent years. Our thoughts are with his family and many friends at
this difficult time.
The High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program, or HAARP, in
Alaska, will soon undertake its first scientific research campaigns
since the facility was taken over by the University of Alaska
Fairbanks Geophysical Institute 18 months ago. Among the
investigators is UAF Researcher Chris Fallen, KL3WX who will be
working under a National Science Foundation grant. The HAARP
transmissions will take place within the facility's transmitter
tuning range of 2.7 to 10MHz and should be audible outside of Alaska
and may even produce visible effects within the state. Fallen's
experiments will be carried out between the 19th and 22nd of February.
The RSGB has appointed Youth Committee Deputy Chair, Milo Noblet,
2E0ILO as the UK team leader for YOTA 2017. He will lead the UK young
amateurs during the IARU Youngsters on the Air 2017 summer camp that
the RSGB is hosting at Gilwell Park in August. Plans for YOTA 2017
are progressing and you can help the RSGB to make the YOTA 2017 event
a great success by becoming a financial supporter – anyone who
donates more than GBP 15 receives a supporters' pin. Find out more
from the YOTA 2017 web page, www.rsgb.org/yotasupporter.
The International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 Monitoring System
newsletter reports a mysterious ‘foghorn' that is a Chinese
over-the-horizon burst radar is operating in the amateur radio bands.
The mysterious foghorn on 7, 10, and 14MHz is often jumping with the
signal frequency modulated on pulse with 66.66 sweeps-per-second
bursts. The latest IARUMS newsletter also reports strong splatter
from Radio France International on 7,205kHz down to 7,186kHz. The
French REF has informed RFI and French telecommunications
authorities. Full details on these and other interference matters can
be found at www.iarums-r1.org/iarums/news2017/news1701.pdf
The Indian Space Agency has successfully launched the amateur radio
satellite Nayif-1 along with 103 other satellites, a record for a
single launch. The PSLV-C37 lifted off at 0358UTC on the 15th of
February. Nayif-1 started transmitting about an hour after launch and
radio amateurs in the west of the USA reported the first signals.
Ken, GW1FKY reports he received his first frames of data when the
satellite came in range of the UK at 1007UTC.
And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week
The Radioactive Fair at Nantwich takes place today, the 19th of
February at the Civic Hall, Market Street, Nantwich CW5 5DG. The
venue has free car parking. Doors open at 10am and admission is
GBP 4. There will be trade stands and a Bring & Buy. Catering will be
available on site. Details by email from
stuart<at>multimediacontrols.com.
There has been an unavoidable change to the venue for the Rainham
Rally on the 26th of February. It will now be held at The Victory
Academy, Magpie Hall Road, Chatham, Kent ME4 5JB. The new venue is
larger with on site parking for 250 cars and is located a couple of
miles from the M2, Junction 3. A talk in station, GB4RRR, will
operate on 145.550MHz. Doors open from 10am to 2pm with disabled
visitors gaining access at 9.30am. Admission is GBP 2.50. There will
be trade stands, special interest groups and catering on site.
Details from Trevor Cannon, on 0771 767 8795.
Next weekend on the 26th of February the Central Coast Amateur Radio
Club Rally takes place at Wyong Racecourse, Howarth St, Wyong NSW
2259, Australia. Billed as the largest event in Australia. More
information at www.ccarc.org.au
Also on the 26th but much closer to home is the Pencoed Amateur Radio
Club Table Top Sale at Pencoed Rugby Football Club, The Verlands,
Felindre Road, Pencoed CF35 5PB. Tables will be GBP 10 each (first
come first served) Doors open at 8am for sellers and the setting up
of tables. Buyers will be allowed in when the doors open at 9.30am.
Entry fee GBP 2. Hot food will be available in the morning and at
lunch time. Hot and cold drinks will be available from the bar (non
alcoholic drinks till lunch time). Table bookings are through
Madeline Roberts on 01639 767056.
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 full details to radcom<at>rsgb.org.uk.
And now the DX news compiled from 425 DX News and other sources
Alain, F5OZC and Sebastien, F8DQZ will be in the Los Islands, IOTA
AF-051, until the 26th of February. The Los Islands are off the coast
of Guinea in West Africa and the callsign being used is 3XY3D.
A European team will sign VP6EU from Pitcairn Island in the Pacific
until the 5th of March. More information can be found on
www.pitcairn2017.de
A team of German operators will be active as XX9D from Macao until
the 26th of February. They will be on CW, SSB and RTTY with 3
stations active 24/7. QSL via Club Log OQRS.
Alain, F5OZC and Sebastien, F8DQZ are on the air as 3XY3D from Kassa
Island, IOTA AF-051, until the 26th of February. Activity is on 40 to
10 metres using mainly CW with some SSB. QSL via F5OZC.
Eric, SM1TDE will be transmitting as 5X8EW from Entebbe from the 23rd
to 26th February. Activity will be on 40 to 10 metres using CW. QSL
to home call.
Michael, DF8AN will be on the air as CE0Z/DF8AN from Robinson Crusoe
Island, IOTA SA-005, from the 21st to the 24th of February. Activity
will be on the HF bands using CW and various digital modes. QSL to
his home callsign.
Now the special event news
Operators from the Darwin Amateur Radio Club will on air using the
callsign VI8BOD from the 18th of February to the 28th of March to
remember the 75th anniversary of the Japanese bombing of Darwin,
Australia in 1942. QSL Manager is M0URX and QSL cards can be
requested on the M0URX OQRS. More information can be found by
searching VI8BOD on QRZ.com
Now the contest news
The ARRL International DX contest ends its 48 hour run at 2359UTC
today, the 19th. It's CW only on the 1.8 to 28MHz bands and the
exchange is signal report and transmitted power level. W stations
also send their State and VE stations their Province.
On Tuesday the 21st, the 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest takes place from
2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the bands the exchange is signal
report, serial number and locator.
The Irish Radio Transmitter Society 80m Counties Contest takes place
on the evening of 22nd. Work EI and GI stations only between 2000 and
2100UTC. There are SSB-only and CW/SSB sections, with CW QSOs
attracting twice as many points as SSB QSOs.
On the 23rd of February the CW leg of the 80m Club Championships
takes place from 2000 to 2130UTC. The exchange is signal report and
serial number.
With HF conditions now so poor, the CQWW 160m DX CW Contest that
commences at 2200UTC on Friday the 24th might be even livelier than
usual. Running for 48 hours and using SSB only, the exchange is
signal report and CQ Zone, with V stations sending State and VE
stations sending their Province.
The REF (French) Contest runs for 36 hours over the same weekend on
SSB from 0600 to 1800UTC. Using the 3.5 to 28MHz bands the exchange
is signal report and serial number, with French stations sending
their Department or overseas prefix.
Next Sunday, the 26th, the first 70MHz Cumulative contest takes place
from 1000 to 1200UTC. Using all modes 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 February.
Last week brought mostly settled conditions and the HF bands
benefitted as a result. With a solar flux index in the mid 70s, and a
K index never higher than two before Thursday, it was an opportunity
for the ionosphere to shine.
The maximum useable frequency was often just above 21 Megahertz at
times, bringing DX in from many parts of the world, including TL8TT
in the Central African Republic. Other highlights included RI1ANR in
Antarctica, 4JT4K Azerbaijan, and CE2AWW in Chile, all on 17 metres.
More settled conditions also brought better conditions at the bottom
end of the spectrum with some very strong openings to the United
States on 80m at dawn.
Next week NOAA predicts that the solar flux index should be around
the 80 mark. Geomagnetic conditions are expected to be settled at
first, perhaps declining from around Wednesday the 22nd to give a K
index of around four at times. Once again this is due to ongoing
solar coronal hole activity.
We recommend getting your DXing in over the weekend and in the first
half of the week, as conditions may be more unsettled as the enhanced
solar wind impacts the Earth. At this time of year, HF favours
diagonal paths across the equator, such as the UK to South America.
This will start to shift towards more north-south paths, such as the
UK to South Africa, as we head towards the spring equinox next month.
And now the VHF and up propagation news.
The predicted high pressure has become dominant over the south of
Britain, and may help us with some limited Tropo in the first half of
this week before declining after midweek. The reason for the decline
is that a large low will become resident to the north-east of Britain
and bring some rain and windier weather as the high gets nudged away
to the south. So, this is not the best week for Tropo, although there
are limited prospects in the first half of the week.
You could monitor the various rain radar websites to help predict
short rain scatter openings on the Gigahertz bands. Look at beacon
signals on an SDR waterfall display for their characteristic broader
signals, offset in frequency from the main carrier. Don't expect too
much from this rain as winter does not produce the sort of DX that we
see in summer thunderstorms.
There are no major meteor showers this week, so keep looking for
random meteor scatter contacts around dawn, when the earth is
rotating into the flux of meteoric particles.
The Moon apogee on Sunday means peak path losses. Combined with low
declination, reaching a minimum on Wednesday, it's a week of short
daytime windows at low elevation for EME.
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 gb2rs<at>rsgb.org.uk to arrive by
10:00 on the Thursday before transmission.
--
g4apl@gb7cip.ampr.org g4apl@gb7cip.#32.gbr.euro
http://www.theskywaves.net http://gb7cip.ampr.org
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