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G4APL > NEWS 28.10.17 23:15l 217 Lines 9836 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 29 Oct 2017
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Sent: 171028/2020Z @:GB7CIP.#32.GBR.EURO #:62348 [Caterham Surrey GBR]
From: G4APL@GB7CIP.#32.GBR.EURO
To : NEWS@EU
GB2RS Main News for Sunday the 29th of October 2017
The news headlines:
* Check you're back on GMT
* New IOTA website live
* Fox-1 satellite launches soon
Today, October 29, at 2am, the UK reverted to Greenwich Mean Time, or
UTC, by going back one hour to 1am. This marks the official end of
British summertime. The mornings will also be lighter, however the
evenings will be darker but better for AM DX. Sunday the 25th of
March 2018 is when the clocks will go forward again at 1am and
British Summer Time begins.
The new Islands on the Air website and the software system that will
run the IOTA programme in the future are now fully up and running.
Users will be redirected from the old site to the new one and can log
in using their existing credentials. Go to www.iota-world.org to
learn more about the programme.
The next AMSAT satellite Fox-1 is scheduled to launch on the 10th of
November at 0947UTC. It will carry a FM transponder with an uplink on
435.250MHz with a 67.0Hz CTCSS and a downlink on 145.960MHz. It will
launch on a Delta II vehicle from Vandenberg Air Force Base,
California.
The Scottish Microwave Round Table will take place on Saturday the
4th of November at the Museum of Communication, Burntisland, Fife.
There will be four talks on such subjects as a 10GHz station, 13cm
SOTA, a 10GHz beacon and modifications to the DB6NT G2 transverters.
The GM round of the UK Microwave Group Projects trophy will also take
place. Booking is still open so go to
www.gmroundtable.org.uk/registration to find out more.
On the 22nd of October, at 1546UTC, Alex, ZS6EME recorded the
first-ever digital EME QSO with HB9Q on 10GHz. This is the first
microwave EME QSO on such a high band from South Africa. They used
the new digital mode QRA64D, while using only 50 watts at the feed of
his 1.5 metre dish. Later, on the 23rd, Alex completed 10 more EME
QSOs on 10GHz. On the 24th, he was able to make the first-ever South
African digital EME QSO on 5.7GHz with PA3DZL at 1156UTC, as well as
7 more QSOs on 5.7GHz. Congratulations.
If your radio club is thinking of visiting Bletchley Park with a
group of 12 or more in 2018, bookings are now being taken including
an offer that comes with a private guided tour and more. Go to
https://bletchleypark.org.uk/visit-us/groups to make your booking. If
you're not planning to go as part of a group, remember that RSGB
Members can download a free Bletchley Park admission voucher from the
RSGB website. Don't forget the National Radio Centre is open
Wednesday to Sunday every week. If you want to operate GB3RS, please
bring a copy of your licence with you.
And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week
There are no rallies in the diary for this weekend, the 28th and
29th.
On the 5th of November the West London Radio & Electronics Show, also
known as the Kempton Rally, will take place at Kempton Park
Racecourse, Staines Road East, Sunbury on Thames, TW16 5AQ. There
will be a talk in station, and on site car parking is free. Doors
open at 10am, with disabled visitors gaining access ten minutes
earlier. There will be trade stations, a Bring & Buy and special
interest groups. Other attractions are lectures, a raffle and
catering on site. Details from Paul, M0CJX, on 0845 165 0351.
Also on Sunday the 5th, the Bush Valley Radio Rally takes place at
the United Services Club, 8 Roe Mill Road, Limavady BT49 9DF. Talk-in
will be on 145.400MHz. Doors open at 11am and entry is GBP 3 with a
free draw ticket. There will be traders and a Bring & Buy.
Refreshments are available on site. Tables are free and should be
booked with Jack on 0788 529 2545.
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
Two Canadian amateurs will operate as VY0ERC from the Eureka Amateur
Radio Club station on Ellesmere Island, IOTA reference NA-008, until
the 10th of November.
Jean-Paul, HB9ARY will be active as 3B8HC from Mauritius Island,
AF-049, between the 4th and 18th of November. He will operate SSB and
slow CW on 80-10 metres, with a focus on 80m. QSL via NI5DX, direct
only, Logbook of The World and eQSL.
Alain, F5OZC will be active from Guinea until the 1st of December.
Look for 3XY3D/P to operate mainly CW from Kassa Island, AF-051, from
the 2nd of November to the 1st of December. QSL via F5OZC, direct or
via the bureau.
Luc, F5RAV and Gerard, F5NVF will be active as 3XY4D from Conakry,
Guinea until the 6th of November. They will operate CW, SSB and
digital modes on 80-10m. QSL via F5RAV, direct only.
Peter, DC0KK will be active as 4S7KKG from Sri Lanka, AS-003, from
the 1st of November to the 25th of March. He operates mainly CW and
digital modes. QSL via his home call, either direct or via the
bureau, and Logbook of The World or OQRS on Club Log.
Thomas, OZ1AA will be active as 4W/OZ1AA from Dili, OC-148, in Timor
Leste between the 1st and the 7th of November. He will be using 40-10
metres with a focus on CW and some FT8. QSL via Club Log's OQRS,
Logbook of The World or via OZ1ACB.
Babs and Lot will be active as CT8/DL7AFS and CT8/DL7ZG respectively
from Sao Miguel, EU-003, in the Azores until the 10th of November.
They will operate mainly SSB and digital modes on 80-10 metres. QSL
via DL7AFS, direct or via the bureau, and Logbook of The World.
Now the special event news
Hull is the UK's City of Culture throughout 2017. Hull & District
Amateur Radio Society has had the special event callsign GB17HCC on
the air regularly and over 500 QSOs have been made so far. QSLs
received via the RSGB Bureau will be replied to once all QSLs have
been received.
Now the contest news
This weekend from 0000UTC on the 28th to 2359UTC on the 29th, the CQ
World Wide DX SSB contest takes place. Using all the contest bands
from 1.8 to 28MHz, the exchange is signal report and Zone, which for
the UK is 14.
On Wednesday, the UK EI Counties Contest runs from 2000 to 2100UTC.
Using SSB only, the exchange is your 4 character locator square.
Next weekend from 1400 on the 4th to 1400UC on the 5th, the Marconi
CW contest takes place. Using the 144MHz band only, the exchange is
signal report, serial number and locator.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO
on Friday the 27th of October.
Last week was once again a mixed bag, with good HF openings at times,
and depressed maximum usable frequencies at others. Quieter
geomagnetic conditions on Sunday and Monday saw good openings up to
and including 28MHz. But the arrival of solar material from a coronal
hole on Tuesday saw much more unsettled conditions. An initial
pre-auroral enhancement saw the good HF openings continue, but then
there was bit of a roller coaster as the MUF rose and dropped as the
K index fluctuated. In amongst this there was DX to be had with HK3C
in Columbia and HP3SS in Panama romping in on 10 metres.
The daytime critical frequency was often above 7MHz, giving good
inter-G contacts on 40 metres, although it often dropped back down,
leaving the band only open to Europe.
Next week it currently looks like the sun is going to be more settled
with no sign of coronal hole activity, at least in the first half of
the week. There are currently two small sunspots visible on the solar
surface and the prediction is the solar flux index will be in the
high 70s or low to mid 80s.
If our prediction about the coronal holes is correct there should be
settled HF ionospheric conditions for most of the week, with maximum
usable frequencies at their seasonal norms. This means we could see
openings up to and including 28MHz, although 14-24MHz may be more
reliable. The lower bands should also offer some good DX with 40m and
80m coming into their own after dark. Hopefully this will be good
news for the CQ World Wide SSB contest, which takes place this
weekend, the 28th and 29th.
And now the VHF and up propagation news.
Moving into November often brings some settled high pressure weather
and this year is no exception. There is likely to be a high pressure
focus over southern UK from time to time for much of the week. So
this is a good week to check your VHF station out and try some of
those Tropo paths, especially south towards the continent and across
Biscay towards Spain, the Azores and Canaries.
There will be periods when the weather turns more unsettled with a
cooler northerly, especially down the North Sea. Showers at this time
of the year can be quite active as a cold northerly air flow crosses
the relatively warm water of the North Sea, so raising the
possibility of rain scatter on the GHz bands.
Moon declination goes positive again on Thursday and it is moving
towards perigee a week today. Path losses will fall throughout the
week so it's time to start your EME activities again for another
cycle.
Last week saw a few 50MHz Sporadic-E reports, so don't give up
completely on that mode, especially as we now have low-signal digital
modes in our VHF DX toolbag.
There are no significant meteor showers this week, so focus on the
early mornings around dawn for the best chance of QSOs via random
meteor scatter.
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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