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G4APL > NEWS 04.06.18 09:20l 332 Lines 16174 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 3 June 2018
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Sent: 180604/0813Z @:GB7CIP.#32.GBR.EURO #:23591 [Caterham Surrey GBR]
From: G4APL@GB7CIP.#32.GBR.EURO
To : NEWS@EU
GB2RS Main News for Sunday 3rd June 2018
The news headlines:
* Threat to Belgian 70cm allocation
* Schoolboy makes silicon chips at home
* Details of FIFA World Cup stations
Amateurs in Belgium are facing severe restrictions on their 70cm band
operations even though, unlike in the UK, it is a Primary allocation
for amateurs. The Regulator is proposing to reduce amateur privileges
in the middle of the band to just a few milliwatts, and to ban
certain modes outright. These may include digital and analogue ATV,
packet radio, and possibly others on the affected frequencies. We
believe it is unprecedented for any Primary user being overridden and
restricted in such a way. Details are on the website of UBA, the
Belgian national society, at tinyurl.com/BelgiumUBA
[Note for Newsreaders: the original, full URL is
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.uba.be%2Fnl
%2F&sl=nl&tl=en&hl=en&ie=UTF-8]
We normally think of silicon chip fabrication as being a cutting-edge
practice, requiring huge investments and hundreds of people. However,
we learned recently of Sam Zeloof, a 17-year-old high school student
in the USA, who is making his own chips in his garage. Using
ingenuity and equipment purchased via eBay, including things like an
electron microscope he bought for less than the cost of shipping, Sam
can fabricate features down to about 2 microns, though he says
contamination issues mean 10 microns is the practical limit for
functioning devices – because, after all, he's working in a garage,
not a clean room. More details are on the IEEE Spectrum website,
accessible via tinyurl.com/GB2RS-0306A
[Note for Newsreaders: the original, full URL is
https://spectrum.ieee.org/semiconductors/devices/the-high-school-stude
nt-whos-building-his-own-integrated-circuits.amp.html?__twitter_impres
sion=true]
The Russian National Society, RRC, has organised an amateur radio
marathon to commemorate the FIFA World Cup finals. It runs from the
1st of June to the 15th of July. Five awards are available, some of
which are achievable at several different levels. Most bands from Top
Band to 70cm can be used, on all modes. A full list of participating
stations, and details on how to apply for the awards, can be found at
www.rsgb.org/fwc The UK is participating with special event stations
in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales at various times
throughout the event. Look out for GB18FWC, MB18FIFA, GB18FIFA and,
first, GB18FWC, which kicks things off this Monday from the RSGB's
National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park. In addition, G6XX, GI6XX,
GM6XX and GW6XX will be activated to represent the FIFA member
countries. Any RSGB Member who holds a Full UK Licence and would be
interested in activating one of those G6 callsigns can email
ContestClub<at>rsgbcc.org for more information.
Enrolment for the latest Bath Based Advanced Distance Learning Course
is now open. The course will run from July to December and includes
weekly notes to guide students through the RSGB textbook, revision
questions and mock exams. The course can be studied anywhere, as long
as you have an internet connection. In the last six years the team
has helped nearly 600 amateurs gain their full licence and they have
raised over GBP 12,000 for charity. With the previously-announced
syllabus change on the horizon, this may be the last course of this
type for some time and places are expected to be in high demand.
There is no charge for the tuition but a refundable deposit is taken
to encourage active learning – the deposit is refunded to those who
complete the course, at just the right time to pay for the exam. Full
details can be obtained from Steve Hartley, G0FUW via email to
G0FUW<at>tiscali.co.uk
Planning for the RSGB Convention in October is ongoing and the number
of talks that have been confirmed continues to increase. We are very
pleased that Ian White, GM3SEK has agreed to present again this year
as his talks have always been very well received. The latest
announcements mainly cover the 'VHF and Up' and 'AMSAT' streams and
can be found on the RSGB website, www.rsgb.org/convention
Writing in the IARU Region 1 VHF, UHF and microwave newsletter,
Jacques, ON4AVJ, has highlighted significant threats to the amateur
radio spectrum above 30MHz. These include Wi-Fi at 5.7GHz, mobile
phones at 3.4GHz and even threats to bands like 6m. The report also
highlights the need for amateurs to develop innovative digital
methods on VHF and above. You can find the report at
tinyurl.com/GB2RS-0306B
[Note for Newsreaders: the original, full URL is
www.iaru-r1.org/images/VHF/newsletters/Newsletter_77.pdf]
Aboard the International Space Station, the HamVideo transmitter
stopped working in mid-April. Tests started on the 1st of June to try
and determine the fault. More information can be found at
https://live.ariss.org/hamtv/
As part of the continuing development of the online RSGB Membership
Services portal, the Society has introduced a Manage Preferences
section where Members can choose to receive GB2RS email alerts and
also Membership updates. In other parts of the portal they can update
personal details, reset their password, renew Membership, read the
digital version of RadCom and also download a free entry voucher to
Bletchley Park. Members can login at www.rsgb.org/update.
A key staff member at RSGB remains unwell, meaning it has again not
been possible to prepare Local News this week. However, additional
effort has now been secured to help us catch up with the backlog and
we expect to include Local News next week and in subsequent
broadcasts. Thank you to everyone who has sent in club calendar
information, which we will include in RadCom as normal. We apologise
for the inconvenience and hope to re-start a normal GB2RS Local News
service from next week.
And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week
Today, Sunday, the Spalding DARS annual rally takes place. It is at a
new venue, Holbeach Community Sports Academy, Pennyhill Lane,
Holbeach PE12 7PR. There is easy access off the A17, a large area for
boot traders, and a modern hall for indoor traders. Doors open
9.30am, with admittance GBP 2.50. There's a car boot sale, catering,
plus a flea market, RSGB book stall, special interest groups, trade
stands and a prize draw. Contact Graham, G8NWC, 0775 461 9701,
rallysecretary<at>sdars.org.uk.
Next weekend is very busy on the rallies front, starting with a
brand-new event on Saturday the 9th. The Portsmouth Radio Rally will
take place at Milton Village Hall, 182 Milton Road, Southsea,
Portsmouth PO4 8PR. There is free on-street and disabled parking.
Doors open at 12.30pm, with admission just GBP 2. Tables are only
GBP 5, though this fee is waived for clubs, charities and so on. Any
profits from the event will go to RAIBC. For more details contact
Matthew, on 0793 615 2846, Matthew.twyman63<at>btinternet.com.
Sunday the 10th sees the East Suffolk Wireless Revival, also known as
the Ipswich Radio Rally, at Kirton Recreation Ground, Back Road,
Kirton IP10 0PW. The site is just off the A14 and there is free car
parking. Doors open at 9.30am and entry is GBP 2. There will be
trade stands, car boot sale, Bring and Buy, special interests groups,
HF station GB4SWR on the air and an RSGB bookstall. Catering is
available on site. Contact Kevin, G8MXV, on
0771 004 6846 [www.eswr.org.uk].
Also next Sunday the Junction 28 Rally takes place at Bowls Hall,
Alfreton Leisure Centre, Alfreton, Derbyshire. For details, contact
Anya Lawrence on 01246 456 625 or email adylawri<at>btinternet.com.
To get your rally or event information into GB2RS News, RadCom and on
the RSGB website, email details as early as possible to
radcom<at>rsgb.org.uk.
And now the DX news kindly compiled this week by G3ZAY from 425 DX
News and other sources
Craig, VK5CE, will be active as VK5CE/6 from 4th to the 7th of June
from East Lewis Island, which is IOTA reference OC-199. Then, from
8-11 June he will be on Direction Island, OC-140. QSL and other
information is on QRZ.com.
K4D will be on the air from Dog Island, NA-085, until the 9th of
June, as will S9ZZ from Sao Tome, AF-023.
Harald DF2WO will be starting up from Rwanda as 9X2AW on the 9th of
June for about three weeks.
A group of five operators will activate TE6DX from Uvita Island in
Costa Rica from the 7th to the 11th of June. This is NA-155 for IOTA.
SA6G/7 will be active from Ven Island, EU-137, from the 5th to the
12th of June, mainly on CW.
Laci, HA0HW, is active as SW8WW from Thassos Island, EU-174, until
the 5th of June.
Now the special event news
Special event station YB50AR will be active throughout June to
celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Organisasi Amatir Radio
Indonesia, ORARI, Indonesia's IARU Member Society. In addition to the
HQ station, another 32 special callsigns will be active from the
ORARI Subdivisions over the same period. All will have the YB50
prefix. Information on the ORARI Golden Anniversary Awards will be
posted to www.orari.or.id.
Special callsigns with a 4X70 prefix are active until the 27th of
June to celebrate Israel's 70th anniversary. Logsearch and an
electronic certificate are available via israel70.iarc.org.
Lough Erne Amateur Radio Club will be running a special event station
GB2MAC for on the weekend of 9th and 10th June. Planning to be on
the air on all bands from 160m to 6m, they will also be monitoring
GB3CP for anyone needing directions to visit, either just to see what
is going on or, if you bring your licence, to operate. The station is
usually up and running by 10am on the Saturday and ends on Sunday
around 4pm. The station will be on the air overnight, with particular
focus on 160 and 80m. QSL will be via the bureau and LOTW.
As mentioned in the main news there are a large number of special
event stations on the air in the UK and elsewhere celebrating FIFA
World Cup 2018. Many awards are available and details are at
www.rsgb.org/fwc
Now the contest news
The UK Microwave Group Low Bands contest takes place today from
1000UTC to 1600UTC. Using all modes on the 1.3, 2.3 and 3.4GHz bands,
the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
The RSGB CW National Field Day ends its 24-hour run at 1500UTC today,
Sunday. Using CW only on all the HF contest bands from 1.8-28MHz, the
exchange is signal report and serial number.
Also ending its 24-hour run today, but at 1200UTC, is SEANET. Using
CW and SSB on the 3.5 to 28MHz contest bands, signal report and
serial number forms the exchange.
And finally for this weekend, the UK Six Metre Group Summer event
ends its 24 hours at 1300UTC on Sunday. All modes can be used on the
50MHz band; the exchange is signal report, serial number and UKSMG
membership number.
On Monday it's the 80m Club Championships Data leg from 1900UTC to
2000UTC. Using datamodes only on the 3.5MHz band, the exchange is
signal report and serial number.
Tuesday sees the 144MHz FMAC from 1800UTC to 1900UTC, immediately
followed by the 144MHz UKAC 1900UTC to 2130UTC. The first is FM-only,
then the UKAC opens up to all modes on the 2m band. The exchange is
the same for both, being signal report, serial number and locator.
Next Saturday at 1200UTC sees the start of the IARU ATV contest,
which runs until 1800 on Sunday. Using all forms of TV on all bands
above 400MHz, the exchange is P-grade, serial number, your chosen
4-digit onscreen code, and your locator. Participation in this one
can be relatively quiet so if you have any ATV gear it's well worth
digging it out; people have won sections with as little as a single
contact.
The 144MHz Backpackers #2 contest takes place next Sunday from
0900UTC to 1300UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, signal report,
serial number and locator forms the exchange.
Starting at the same time next Sunday, 0900UTC, but finishing later
at 1600UTC, is the PW 2m QRP contest. Using all modes on the 144MHz
band, with a maximum power of 5W, the exchange is signal report,
serial number and locator.
Finally for next weekend, the UK Microwave Group millimetre-wave
contest runs from 0900UTC to 1700UTC. Using all modes on the 24 to
248GHz bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and
locator.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO
on Friday 1st June.
A large coronal hole on the Sun didn't affect the HF bands earlier in
the last week as its associated high-speed solar wind stream hadn't
had time to reach Earth. However, this was probably the quiet before
the geomagnetic storm as the solar material was predicted to reach us
at around 450-500km per second sometime around Friday the first of
June.
As the coronal hole is large, and on the Sun's equator, it is
perfectly positioned to deposit a mass of charged particles into the
Earth's magnetic field if its Bz magnetic component is south facing,
so enabling coupling. The upshot is that this weekend is probably
going to see very unsettled geomagnetic and possibly even auroral
conditions. And in view of the hole's elongated shape we may not see
much respite until around Tuesday June 5th, or even Wednesday the
6th. So expect lowered maximum usable frequencies, noisy bands and
poor conditions as the ionosphere is depleted – not really a good
forecast for National Field Day weekend! After Wednesday the 6th June
we can probably expect the bands to recover slowly.
The good news is that summer propagation conditions are just about
with us, so expect the 20m HF band to remain open longer, perhaps
even after sunset, although a lack of decent sunspots is not really
helping. The high-speed solar wind may also adversely impact
Sporadic-E formation, so for research purposes keep an eye on 10m
over the weekend, but do hear what we have to say in the VHF section
about Sporadic-E too.
And now the VHF and up propagation news.
Weather-wise it looks like more of the same with high pressure
holding on over much of the country, with just the occasional spell
when there are likely to be a few heavy thundery showers in the
south, chiefly up to this weekend. So this week it's time to dust off
the Tropo bands at VHF and UHF and try for those unusually long
distance paths, say across the North Sea or south-east into Europe.
Remember that paths across the sea can be very reliable from coast to
coast, but once a portion of the path crosses the land, the daytime
heating can destroy the needed temperature inversions, so they will
only work during the night time.
Apart from the odd bit of rain scatter from those early
thunderstorms, the other mode of choice will be Sporadic-E. The
season is coming to one of its fabled peaks in early June. Some say
it's to do with extra meteor showers, others not so convinced.
Whatever provides the fuel, the weather triggers in the lower
atmosphere are what probably controls the location.
In the coming week the main jet stream is out of reach well north of
the UK. There may be some weaker jet stream segments towards Spain
and, perhaps by midweek, a jet stream over the Norwegian mountains
may be useful for a Scandinavian Sporadic-E opening.
The moon is at apogee, its furthest distance from earth today, and
declination is negative but increasing. Moon windows will lengthen as
the week progresses and losses will fall.
The Arietids meteor shower, the strongest daylight shower of the year
lasts from late May until early July and peaks this Thursday. Look
out for enhanced reflections.
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 radcom<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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