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G4APL > NEWS 20.01.18 23:53l 247 Lines 11811 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 21 Jan 2018
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday 21st January 2018
The news headlines:
* Neville Cheadle, G3NUG, silent key
* GMDX Group sponsors new VHF-UHF DX contest
* 15 new SOTA associations added in 2017
It is with great sadness that the RSGB reports that Eric Neville
Cheadle, G3NUG passed away unexpectedly on the 14th of January.
Neville was an amateur's amateur. A gentleman of the airwaves, he was
also a terrific and prolific operator. Chairman of Chiltern DX Club
for many years, Neville was a keen contester and the driving force
behind numerous DXpedition operations, many of which he went on
himself. He was a long-time RSGB volunteer, including a Board member
and organiser of the RSGB HF Convention. He will be missed around the
world by his many amateur friends and our thoughts are with his
family at this difficult time.
The GMDX Group is sponsoring a new annual competition to promote
VHF-UHF DX and contesting activity in the geographical north and west
of the British Isles, and to give stations everywhere an opportunity
to work those areas. The competition is based on the GMDX Celtic Knot
Award, which is for working stations in GM, GI, GD, GW, Cornwall and
EI. The Celtic Knot VHF-UHF Competition takes advantage of the
activity created by the RSGB VHF-UHF UK Activity Contests. Entry for
the Celtic Knot VHF-UHF Competition will be automatic. Simply operate
in each UKAC in the normal way, submit a log, or checklog, and GMDX
will do the rest. Full details, rules, frequently asked questions and
the first update of the monthly progress ladders are already online
at https://gmdxvhf.wordpress.com
Fifteen new SOTA associations were added during the year 2017,
bringing the total to 136 worldwide. These included IA, Isole
Africane d`Italia, VO1, Canada – Newfoundland, FG, Guadeloupe, VY1,
Canada – Yukon and ZB2, Gibraltar. For any countries not yet
represented, the SOTA Management Team is happy to provide advice and
support in the aim of bringing qualifying areas into the global
programme. Please get in touch via the page www.sota.org.uk/Contact
The DP0GVN WSPR beacon now is in operation from Antarctica. It is in
the German Neumayer III Research Station of the Alfred Wegener
Institute for Polar and Marine Research. The installation is part of
a scientific project of the Technical University of Munich in
cooperation with the University of Bremen and the German national
amateur radio society, DARC. The technology consists of a multiband
WSPR receiver that can simultaneously monitor up to eight bands from
160 to 6 metres and feed several hundred receive reports per hour to
WSPRnet. The 5W multiband transmitter also has been commissioned and
is working into a vertical antenna.
The RSGB has responded to a consultation in the Isle of Man regarding
licensing additional spectrum in the 3.4GHz band for commercial use.
This is immediately adjacent to the UK amateur allocation. Details of
the consultation and the RSGB response can be found on the Spectrum
Forum section of the RSGB.org website or via tinyurl.com/GB2RS-0121-A.
[Note to Newsreaders: the original, full URL is
http://rsgb.org/main/about-us/committees/spectrum-forum/papers-and-con
sultations/]
The Australian licensing authority will permit all Australian radio
amateurs to substitute the VK prefix with AX on Australia Day, the
26th of January. Australia Day commemorates the First Fleet's arrival
in 1788 at Sydney Cove and the establishment of a European settlement
at Port Jackson.
W.I.T.C.H. Takeover takes place on Thursday, the 15th of February
from 12 noon to 5pm at the National Museum of Computing, Bletchley
Park MK3 6EB. This event will be a tie-in with a visit and speech by
artist John Yeadon, creator of the paintings "Portrait of a Dead
Witch" and "Portrait of a Live Witch". The day will involve an
in-depth speech from John Yeadon on the creation of his painting of
the Harwell Dekatron, or W.I.T.C.H. computer, 35 years on, followed
by the chance for visitors to get their hands dirty and create their
own masterpieces with a variety of practical art activities for kids.
Tickets cost from GBP 8.67 and can be booked online via
tinyurl.com/GB2RS-0121-B
[Note to Newsreaders: the original, full URL is
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/witch-takeover-tickets-41696972768]
And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week
We have no details in the diary for any rallies this weekend. But on
the 27th of January the Horncastle Radio Rally will take place at
Banovallum School, Mareham Road Entrance LN9 6DA. Entry will be
GBP 2. The venue is indoors, on one level, with all the usual
attractions including bacon butties. There is free car parking on
site. Details from Tony, G3ZPU, on 01507 527 835.
To get your rally or event information into future editions of GB2RS
News, in RadCom and on the RSGB website, please email details to
radcom<at>rsgb.org.uk. Please do not just assume we know about your
event.
And now the DX news compiled from 425 DX News and other sources
Brian, GW4DVB will be operating a small holiday DXpedition to Palm
Island in St Vincent and the Grenadines, IOTA reference NA-025. He
will operate from the 21st to the 28th January using the callsign
J88PI. The equipment will be an FT-991A with 100W into a 10m vertical
on the 40, 20, 17, 15 and 10m bands. QSL direct only to PO Box 20:20,
Llanharan, Pontyclun, Wales CF72 9ZA. More information at
www.g4dvb.co.uk/
Thomas, DL9OBQ is operating as 9Z4/DL9OBQ from Saint Augustine,
Trinidad Island, IOTA SA-011, until the 7th of February. Activity is
on 30, 17 and 15 metres using mostly CW. QSL to his home callsign.
Livio, IZ3BUR will be transmitting as J52EC from a mission in Cumura,
in Guinea-Bissau, from the 24th of January to the 21st of February.
QSL to his home callsign.
Mathias, DL4MM will be on the air as P4/DL4MM from Aruba from the
24th to the 31st of January. Activity is on the low bands. He will be
active as P40AA in the CQ World Wide 160m CW contest. QSL to his home
callsign.
Jeff, K8ND is operating as PJ2ND from the Signal Point station in
Curaçao until the 5th of February. Activity is on the HF bands. He
and Jim, W8WTS will be on the air as PJ2T in the CQ World Wide 160m
CW contest. QSL PJ2ND via K8ND and PJ2T via W3HNK.
Rudi, DK7PE plans to be on the air as V5/DK7PE from Omarura in
Namibia from the 24th to the 31st of January. Activity will be on the
HF bands with an emphasis on 160 and 60 metres. This includes being
an entry in the CQ World Wide 160 Meter CW contest. QSL to his home
callsign.
Daniel, KD9HNL is operating as VP2MDH in Montserrat until the 29th of
January. Activity is on various FM satellites. QSL via Logbook of The
World.
Now the special event news
GB1LBC will be on the air from Silloth RNLI Lifeboat Station on the
27 and 28th of January, to raise awareness of the work the volunteer
crews undertake in the coastal waters of the UK. Main operating bands
will be 40m voice and 20m digital modes, mostly PSK and FT8. Other
bands may be used if conditions allow. QSL information is on QRZ.com.
An increasing number of special event callsign applicants seem to
miss the publicity tick box on the application form. If you do not
tick the box on the second page of the form, Ofcom cannot pass your
details to RSGB for publicity in the RadCom Special Events table, on
the RSGB website, and in this section of GB2RS News. We would
encourage all applicants to make sure they do tick the box that lets
us help publicise their event.
Now the contest news
On Tuesday the SHF UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC.
Using all modes on the 2.3 to 10GHz bands, the exchange is signal
report, serial number and locator.
The CQ WW 160m DX Contest runs for 48 hours, starting 2200UTC on
Friday the 26th. Using CW only on the 1.8MHz band, the exchange is
signal report and CQ Zone, with US stations sending their State and
Canadian stations sending their Province. Remember that D-Region
absorption will render the band pretty much useless during daylight
hours.
The BARTG RTTY Sprint runs from 1200UTC on the 27th to 1200UTC on the
28th. Using the 3.5 to 28MHz bands, the exchange is serial number.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO
on Friday 19th January.
Last week saw unsettled HF conditions in the first half, but more
settled ones later on. A high-speed stream from a coronal hole pushed
the K index to four and five last weekend, and maximum usable
frequencies were depressed until at least Thursday. The HF bands were
often very lacklustre, with even 20m struggling to show much DX,
although the E31A Eritrea DXpedition was audible at times on bands up
to 15 metres. The lower bands were humming though, with Andy, M0NKR
reporting that he had worked Hawaii, KH7 on 40 metres.
Daytime critical frequencies are currently hitting a maximum of about
5.5MHz, which means 40 metres is not open to close-in contacts. For
inter-G work we suggest that 80 or 60 metres would be the best
options. Daytime maximum usable frequencies over a 3,000km path,
derived from Chilton Ionosonde data and available at propquest.co.uk,
are currently between about 18-22MHz around mid-day.
The 4U1UN international beacon on 14.100MHz is currently being heard
in the UK on most afternoons, although the higher frequency 18.110
and 21.150MHz transmissions are generally more elusive.
Next week, we have the effects of another coronal hole to contend
with. The high-speed solar wind, which may exceed 500 kilometres per
second, is expected to impact the Earth by Saturday 20th, and we may
see the K index rising to five. After a potential short-lived
enhancement, expect maximum usable frequencies to be adversely
affected through to around Tuesday or Wednesday. The rest of the week
should be more settled geomagnetically.
NOAA predicts the solar flux will remain hovering around the 70 mark,
as the only sunspot visible is a tiny fleck, which looks very
unthreatening.
And now the VHF and up propagation news.
The unsettled weather will continue into next week, but at least it
may provide some strong rain shower activity at times, which is good
for microwave band rain scatter. As a matter of interest, as the
winter progresses, the seas cool and eventually maritime showers
around the coasts become less significant for this propagation mode.
We then have to wait for the land to warm in the spring and give us
the familiar April showers!
The other VHF interest may involve some marginal Tropo conditions
over southern Britain later in the week as high pressure builds
across the near continent. The effects may mainly be confined to
southern Britain, with paths to Europe and perhaps across the
southern North Sea to the Baltic.
We are now in the annual low in sporadic meteor activity, which lasts
until the Lyrids shower at the end of April. This means that random
meteor scatter contacts will be harder to complete.
The Moon's declination is increasing this week and it is coming
closer after last week's apogee. With positive declination from
Tuesday and falling losses, conditions will get better for EME as the
week progresses. Lowest losses coincide with next weekend, so get
those antennas pointing at the moon.
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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