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G4TNU > NEWS 01.06.22 22:07l 264 Lines 11882 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 29 May 2022
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday the 29th of May 2022
The news headlines:
* Jubilee callsigns go live from the 1st
* GB70 special event stations
* ATV columnist interviewed
It isn't long now until the RSGB's Platinum Jubilee activities kick
off. You can start using the Regional Secondary Locator, the letter
Q, on the 1st of June. The free-of-charge Notice of Variation to your
licence that is needed is available via the RSGB website, see
rsgb.org/jubilee. If you want to retain your usual Regional Secondary
Locator you may use the suffix /70 to celebrate the Queen's Platinum
Jubilee. An NoV is not necessary for the /70 addition to your
callsign.
The GB70 Special Event Stations will be operating next weekend,
including the bank holidays, and you can get a special QSL card for
contact with any of the GB70 stations. The Guernsey club use of the
QO-100 satellite is causing a lot of interest. The callsigns to look
for are GB70E in England, GB70M in Scotland, GB70W in Wales, GB70I in
Northern Ireland, GB70J on Jersey, GB70U on Guernsey and GB70D on the
Isle of Man. You can find out more about these special events at
gb70.co.uk.
The June edition of the Raspberry Pi magazine, MagPi, features an
article about amateur digital television and an interview with RadCom
ATV author Dave Crump, G8GKQ. You can find out more at
magpi.raspberrypi.com, issue 118.
Please note that due to the long bank holiday weekend, the GB2RS
script for the 5th of June will be prepared early. The deadline for
news is 10am on Tuesday the 31st of May for inclusion in that script.
Thank you for your understanding.
An exhibition about Marconi's famous Chelmsford wireless factory will
take place at Anglia Ruskin University. Chelmsford is known as the
birthplace of radio thanks to the world's first purpose-built radio
factory, established in 1912 by Marconi. The year 2022 marks 100
years since the world's first regular wireless broadcasts for
entertainment began from the Marconi laboratories at nearby Writtle.
The exhibition will open on Wednesday the 22nd of June and will run
on specific days until Friday the 15th of July. Attendees need to
book their place and more information and full details of times can
be found at eventbrite.co.uk. Type in Marconi into the search bar and
you can select a date to visit.
Following the introduction of the RSGB's upgraded Membership Services
system, the Board proceedings and reports have moved to a new
location. They can now be found inside your new Membership Services
portal under the ‘About' tab.
And now for details of rallies and events
Please send your rally and event news as soon as possible to
radcom<at>rsgb.org.uk. We'll publicise your event in RadCom, on
GB2RS, and online.
Today, the 29th, the Durham & District ARS Radio Rally takes place at
Bowburn Community Centre, Durham Road, Bowburn DH6 5AT. The
organisers wish all those attending a warm welcome. Doors will be
open from 10.10am to 2.30pm, with disabled visitors gaining access 10
minutes earlier. Admittance is GBP 2. There will be a Bring & Buy,
RSGB bookstall and trade stands. For more information, contact
Michael, G7TWX, 0782 692 4192.
Next Sunday, the 5th of June, the Spalding Radio Rally will be held
at Holbeach United Youth FC, Pennyhill Road, Holbeach, Lincolnshire
PE12 7PR. Doors open at 10am, with disabled guests gaining access at
9.30am. Entry is GBP 3. There will be a car boot area, flea market
and trade stands. Catering is available on site. A prize draw/raffle
will take place. More from Graham, G8NWC on 0775 461 9701.
Now the DX news
Take, JI3DST will be active from Shodo Island, AS-200, until the 4th
of July. He will operate SSB and CW as JI3DST/5, JJ5RBH and JS6RRR/5,
as well as JS6RRR/P on FT8. The QSOs will be made available for both
Club Log and Logbook of The World matching on the IOTA website.
Erwin, DK5EW will be operating as SV8/DK5EW from Crete, EU-015,
between the 30th of May and the 10th of June. This will be a 144MHz
operation with EME, meteor scatter and Sporadic-E operations. QSL
direct to his home callsign. Logs will be uploaded to Logbook of the
World later.
3D2RRR will be active from Rotuma, a Fijian island, for a couple of
weeks. Plans are to run two stations on CW, one on SSB, and five on
FT8 using Fox & Hound mode. QSL via Club Log's OQRS.
Now the Special Event news
GB0LIZ will operate on the 4th and 5th of June to celebrate the
Queen's Platinum Jubilee. It will be operated by members of
Guisborough & District ARC from the Lion Inn, Blakey Ridge,
Kirkbymoorside YO627LQ. They will be using as many bands as possible
and visitors are welcome.
GB1SCW, to celebrate the work of costal communities, will be on the
air until the 31st of May. More information can be found on qrz.com.
Northwest Group Amateur Radio Club are activating GB0AEL as part of
the 90th Anniversary of Amelia Earhart landing in Londonderry, until
the 30th of May. See qrz.com.
Now the contest news
This weekend is the CQ World Wide WPX CW contest. It runs for 48
hours ending at 2359UTC today, the 29th. Using the 1.8 to 28MHz bands
where contests are allowed, the exchange is signal report and serial
number.
Today, the 29th, the 70MHz Cumulative contest runs from 1400 to
1600UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial
number and locator.
Also today, the UK Microwave Group High Band contest runs from 0600
to 1800UTC. Using the 5.7 and 10GHz bands, the exchange is signal
report, serial number and locator.
On Monday, the FT4 Series contest runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using
the 3.5MHz band only, the exchange is your 4-character locator.
On Wednesday, the 144MHz FT8 Activity Contest runs from 1900 to
2100UTC. The exchange is report and your 4-character locator.
Next weekend is a busy one for contests and the UK Six Metre group's
Summer Marathon starts.
The ARRL International Digital Contest runs from 1800UTC on the 4th
to 2359UTC on the 5th. Using digital modes, but no RTTY, on the 1.8
to 50MHz bands where contests are allowed, the exchange is your
4-character locator.
The UK Six Metre group's Summer Contest runs from 1300UTC on the 4th
to 1300UTC on the 5th. Using all modes on the 50MHz band, the
exchange is signal report, serial number, locator and membership
number.
The group's Summer Marathon runs until the 2nd of August, again
exchanging your 4-character locator.
Running for 48 hours next weekend from 0000UTC on the 4th is the
International Pride Contest. You can enter as a single operator,
multi operator or a single QRP operator. Check out the rules at
prideradio.group/contest
The RSGB National Field Day runs from 1500UTC on the 4th to 1500UTC
on the 5th of June. Using CW only on the 1.8 to 28MHz bands where
contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial
number.
Next Sunday, the 5th of June, the UK Microwave group's Low Band
Contest runs from 1000 to 1600UTC. Using all modes on the 1.3, 2.3
and 3.4GHz bands, 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 May 2022.
The solar flux index remained above 130 last week, being at 137 on
Thursday as this report was prepared. It peaked at 165 on Sunday and
reached a massive 180 on Wednesday the 18th. All this means that DX
is workable on the upper HF bands with the 3D2RRR DXpedition on
Rotuma Island near Fiji being chased from the UK. A little closer to
home, V51WW in Namibia has also been putting in an appearance.
Sporadic-E has also seen some short-skip signals from Europe on 10
metres, but we haven't seen many rock-crushingly strong signals as
yet.
The Sun remains very active with a CME associated with an M1.3 flare
detected around region 3016 at 1824UTC on Wednesday, the 25th of May.
The bulk of the plasma released was off the Sun-Earth line, although
closer examination revealed a fainter Earth-directed component was
evident and could sweep past Earth within 48-72 hours. If correct,
this means the Kp index may rise this weekend.
Coronal mass ejections remain a risk to HF propagation with a massive
one on the far side of the Sun being observed on the 24th of May. We
have been lucky last week with the Kp index generally in the ones and
twos, that is, indicating settled geomagnetic conditions. But we
think it is only a matter of time before we get hit with a "big one",
which could cause disruption and a general reduction in maximum
usable frequencies.
Next week, NOAA predicts that the SFI may decline into the 130s or
even 120s. In fact, by the 5th of June it thinks it will be at a low
of 114 before rising again. Luckily, NOAA also predicts that the Kp
index will remain low. This will help the ionosphere develop and
should bring good conditions. However, we issue a caution that a
single Earth-directed CME could put paid to low Kp indices and bring
disruption. As always, keep an eye on solarham.com for updates.
And now the VHF and up propagation news.
The next period of weather is dominated by high pressure, although
not in exactly the right place for good Tropo conditions everywhere.
The main position of the high will tend to drift away to the
northwest, which leaves room for a cool northerly pattern over most
areas. This will probably confine the best Tropo conditions to the
southwestern half of the UK.
Elsewhere, the main weather type will include summer showers,
possibly heavy, and likely to be of interest for rain scatter
activity. Showers in a cold northerly airmass are usually strictly
diurnal, so rain scatter prospects are for the afternoon and early
evenings.
Sporadic-E is showing good signs of coming to life and we are
starting to hear limited openings for traditional CW/SSB QSOs and
more widespread activity for digital modes. Some promising multi-hop
paths have been seen to Asia in the mornings and the States and the
Caribbean in the evenings.
This week contains potentially the most exciting meteor shower of the
year. The Tau Herculids shower, associated with Comet 73P and
discovered in 1930, appears early during Monday night into Tuesday
morning. In 1995 the comet was seen to suddenly brighten. This was
discovered as being due to its nucleus starting to break up, creating
a debris cloud. Comet 73P orbits the Sun at 5.4-year intervals. The
Earth next crosses its orbit on the night of the 30th of May, into
the morning of the 31st. It is due to peak in the UK at about 0500UTC
on the 31st.
Depending on how the nucleus started to eject debris, we may have a
spectacular shower or something that is, at best, disappointing. As
it will be light in Europe during the peak the visual display may not
be very impressive, but the possibility for a radio reflection shower
must be strong. This is one to look for, as a meteor scatter
enthusiast.
The new Moon occurs on the 31st May and illumination will be low all
the following week.
A maximum declination of +28.1 degrees occurs on the 2nd, and this
also coincides with the greatest distance from Earth to Moon, which
in turn means the highest path loss.
From experience, this should still be a good week for EME on the
microwave bands despite the path loss. The VHF EME bands will suffer
noise from the proximity of the Moon to the Sun for the first few
days of the week.
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.
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