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G4APL > NEWS 11.02.18 00:06l 256 Lines 12094 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 11 Feb 2018
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday 11th February 2018
The news headlines:
* Gordon Adams, G3LEQ, SK
* Four countries add 5MHz band
* RSGB Convention 2018 news
Sad news to start this week. Gordon Adams, G3LEQ passed away quietly
last week. Gordon had held many posts within amateur radio including
serving his fellow amateurs as the GB2RS News Service Manager for
many years. He was also the RSGB Spectrum Director and a prime mover
of the 5MHz experiment when that started. He was the IARU Region 1
Emergency Communications Co-ordinator too, among many other roles.
Our thoughts are with his family and many amateur radio friends at
this difficult time.
Lots of news this week for the 5MHz band. Following extensive
discussions with their regulator, Czech amateurs can access both the
new WRC-15 60m Amateur Secondary Allocation of 5351.5 to 5366.5kHz
and their existing twelve 60m channels. The WRC-15 allocation is
available on an individual permit basis, with a maximum power of 15W
EIRP. The New Zealand national society has negotiated a licence to
allow limited operation by ZL amateurs on 60m on a trial secondary
basis with no interference to Primary users. Operation centres on
5353kHz and 5362 to 5364kHz, with a maximum output of 10dBW EIRP. The
Icelandic telecoms regulator will now permit access to the new
WRC-15 60m allocation from 5351.5 to 5366.5kHz on a Secondary basis
with a maximum power of 15W EIRP, but has ended the previous
experimental licence privileges. Argentinean amateurs may now use the
new WRC-15 Amateur 60m Secondary allocation of 5351.5 to 5366.5kHz,
with a regional maximum power limit of 25W EIRP.
Detailed planning has now started for the 2018 RSGB Convention in
October. The organisers plan the usual broad mix across the five
streams with topics to cater for all tastes and at all levels.
AMSAT-UK will be organising some of the lectures, as the AMSAT
Colloquium will be incorporated into the Convention again this year.
The Convention organisers are keen to hear suggestions for talks to
be given at the event. Please email any ideas to
convention<at>rsgb.org.uk
A new exhibition opens at Bletchley Park on the 16th of February that
showcases some of the many stories of life and work at Bletchley Park
during WW2. It uses the Bletchley Park's Oral History collection and
the Roll of Honour to allow Veterans to tell their own stories
through photographs, quotes and audio points. The National Radio
Centre, also at Bletchley Park, is open Wednesdays to Sundays and, if
you bring your current and valid licence with you, there is an
opportunity to operate the GB3RS station.
Nominations are now open for the CQ Amateur Radio Contest and DX
Halls of Fame. These recognise those amateurs who have made major
contributions to contesting and DXing, respectively. Nominations to
any of the halls of fame may be made by individuals, clubs or
national organisations, and must be submitted by the first of March
to be considered. A maximum of two people may be inducted into the
Contest and DX halls of fame each year. There is no set maximum for
inductees into the Amateur Radio Hall of Fame. Nominations may be
emailed to hall-of-fame<at>cq-amateur-radio.com
Speaking on behalf of the WSJT-X Development Team, Joe Taylor, K1JT,
has issued a progress report on the team's efforts to develop an FT8
DXpedition mode. Details are at tinyurl.com/GB2RS-0211a. Joe said the
basic goal of FT8 DXpedition Mode is to enable DXpeditions to make
FT8 QSOs at the highest possible rates, and the WSJT-X Development
Team has been working with members of the Baker Island KH1/KH7Z
DXpedition team, ahead of its mid-summer operation, to work out the
wrinkles.
[Note to Newsreaders: the original, full URL is
http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/FT8_DXpedition_Mode.pdf]
And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week
Today, the 11th of February, the Harwell Radio & Electronics Rally
will be held at Didcot Leisure Centre, Mereland Road, Didcot, Oxon
OX11 8AY, which is 3 miles from the Milton Interchange on the A34.
Doors open from 10am and admittance is GBP 3, with under 12s free.
There is free car parking, with disabled parking and facilities.
There will be traders, special interest groups and an RSGB book
stand. Refreshments will be available all day. Talk-in is on
145.550MHz using G3PIA. Details from Ann, G8NVI by email to
ann.stevens<at>btinternet.com
The Radioactive Rally will take place on the 18th of February next
weekend at Nantwich Civic Hall, Cheshire CW5 5DG. There is free car
parking and the doors open at 10.30am. There will be a Bring & Buy,
as well as traders and an RSGB book stall. A single raffle ticket is
included with the entrance programme, additional tickets can be
purchased. Catering is available on site. Contact Stuart Jackson on
07880 732 534.
Make sure your rally or event information gets into future editions
of GB2RS News, into RadCom and on the RSGB website by emailing
details to radcom<at>rsgb.org.uk.
And now the DX news compiled from 425 DX News and other sources
OH2IS will be in Martinique, IOTA reference NA-107, from the 18th to
28th of February. He'll be focusing on the low bands as FM/OH2IS
using a full size 40m metre and top loading for 80m. On the higher
bands he will have dipoles.
Dick, AD7AR will be active as 5W0LR from Samoa, OC-097, until the
22nd of February. He will operate CW and FT8, with some SSB if
conditions are good, mainly on the 15 to 40m bands. QSL via Logbook
of the World, or direct to his home callsign or logsearch on Club Log.
Henning, OZ1BII will be active as D44EE from Sao Tiago, AF-005, in
Cape Verde from the 15th to the 20th of February. He will operate CW
only on the 160 to 10m bands, with some activity on the WARC bands.
QSL via Logbook of The World, Club Log OQRS, eQSL, or via his home
callsign either direct or via the bureau.
Scott, NE9U will be active as PJ4/NE9U from Bonaire, SA-006, until
the 24th of February. QSL via Logbook of the World, or via NE9U,
either direct or via the bureau.
John, W5JON will be active as V47JA from St Kitts, NA-104, from the
13th of February to the 16th of March. He will operate SSB on the 160
to 6m bands. QSL via W5JON, direct only, and Logbook of the World.
Now the special event news
Thinking Day on the Air 2018 will take place over the weekend of the
17th and 18th of February. Guides and Scouts are taking part from the
UK, Canada, USA, the Netherlands and possibly other countries. A list
of known stations is displayed on the website,
www.guides-on-the-air.co.uk and if your station isn't listed, please
send in details via the website or to lizowl<at>gmail.com
Gloucester Amateur Radio & Electronics Society is helping the
Quedgeley Brownies for Thinking Day on the Air. Listen out for
GB4QBP.
EI100MCV will be active until the 31st of December to mark the
Centenary of the 1918 sinking of RMS Leinster in the Irish Sea. MCV
was the original callsign of the vessel. The intention is to use all
bands, operating on or close to frequencies ending with 18, for
example 1918kHz, 3518, 3618 and 3718kHz and so on. Further details
can be found on www.QRZ.com
Members of the International Amateur Radio Contest DX Club will be
active with special callsign 4U0R from the Vienna International
Centre, Austria, for World Radio Day between the 13th and 20th of
February. Activity will be on various HF bands using CW and SSB. QSL
via UA3DX, direct, by the Bureau or Club Log OQRS.
Now the contest news
The CQ World Wide WPX RTTY contest runs for 48 hours ending at
2359UTC today, the 11th. Using RTTY only on the 3.5 to 28MHz bands,
the exchange is signal report and serial number.
Ending at 1200UTC today, the 11th, is the PACC contest. Using CW and
SSB on the 1.8 to 28MHz bands the exchange is signal report and
serial number, with PA stations also exchanging their Province.
On Tuesday the 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2000UTC.
It is followed by the 432MHz UK Activity Contest, which uses all
modes from 2000 to 2230UTC. The exchange for both is signal report,
serial number and locator.
There's a similar evening on Thursday with the 70MHz FM Activity
Contest from 1900 to 2000UTC, then the all-mode 70MHz UK Activity
Contest from 2000 to 2230UTC. The exchange is signal report, serial
number and locator.
On Wednesday it's the data leg of the 80m Club Championships, running
from 2000 to 2130UTC. The exchange is signal report and serial number.
Next weekend the ARRL International DX contest runs for 48 hours from
0000UTC on the 17th to 2359UT on the 18th. It's CW only on the 1.8 to
28MHz bands. The exchange is signal report and Tx power. US stations
will send their State and Canadian stations their Province.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO
on Friday the 9th of February.
Sunspot region 2699 provided us with a small increase in solar
activity last week. It also produced a number of minor C and M-class
flares as the solar flux index rose to around 77. More significantly,
quieter geomagnetic conditions, thanks to a lack of coronal holes,
meant the K index remained fairly low and the bands were quite
settled. This brought band openings up to 21MHz at times, with the
FOC Marathon last weekend giving an ideal opportunity to see just how
far CW signals can travel. North American stations from as far afield
as California, Oregon, Washington State and British Columbia were
audible in the UK. Roger, G3LDI says he had 855 QSOs with 102 DXCC
entities on all bands up to and including 10 metres.
Next week, the solar flux index is predicted to remain around 70.
Geomagnetic conditions should remain settled until around Friday the
16th, when the K index could rise to a maximum of four or five due to
incoming material from solar coronal hole activity.
As we are now in February it is worth looking at some propagation
predictions. For the path from the UK to New York, Predtest.uk tells
us that we can expect a maximum usable frequency of about 18.9MHz
around 1400UTC with a maximum 10% chance of success using 100W to a
dipole and SSB on 17 metres.
If you use CW your chance of success increases to 40%, and you get a
similar or slightly better probability if using one of the newer
digital modes such as FT8, which can copy signals down below the
noise level.
And now the VHF and up propagation news.
It's looking like the changeable period of weather is locked in for
another week, with a series of fronts crossing the country and low
pressure north of Scotland for much of the time. This will make it
rather breezy at times, especially in the north.
For VHF/UHF propagation, the absence of high pressure rules out
tropospheric openings, while on the microwave bands, rain scatter
from heavy showers is probably going to be rather random and
infrequent, as the seas gradually cool down and are less able to
generate the heavy showers.
There is always the chance of an occasional aurora to lift spirits
for a very exotic mode of operation and, with some strong jet stream
activity, it's not totally out of question that some Sporadic-E may
develop, although such things are very rare at this time of the year.
Stick to random meteor scatter QSOs in the early morning for your
regular dose of VHF DX.
The Moon is at minimum declination and apogee today, so we have
maximum EME path losses and low peak Moon elevations of less than 20
degrees in the UK.
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.
Our thanks to Andy G4TNU for providing this RSGB feed.
--
g4apl@gb7cip.ampr.org g4apl@gb7cip.#32.gbr.euro
http://www.theskywaves.net http://gb7cip.ampr.org
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