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G4TNU > NEWS 11.12.22 19:01l 261 Lines 12392 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 11 Dec 2022
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday the 11th of December 2022
Newsreaders should consider using phonetics for parts of web and
email addresses if spellings are questionable.
The news headlines:
* RSGB Elections
* Australian Licensing Changes
* GB22YOTA at the National Radio Centre
The RSGB is calling for volunteers who are willing and able to give
their time and enthusiasm to ensure the Society continues to develop
and thrive. This year there are nine roles to be filled and the
results will be announced at the RSGB's AGM in April 2023. An
explanation of how to apply for the Nominated Board Director process,
as well as the candidate packs and forms for President, Elected Board
Director and Regional Representative, are all on the Society's
website at rsgb.org/election
At the end of September 2022, the Australian Communications and Media
Authority, or ACMA, proposed that Australia's amateur radio operators
move to a class-based licensing scheme in July 2023, opening a
consultation period that closed at the end of November 2022. The
Wireless Institute of Australia has replied to the ACMA proposals
with a comprehensive evidence-based response. The ACMA proposes
moving Australia's radio amateurs from individual apparatus licences,
to one licence for the amateur service as a whole. The principal
reason cited is a reduction in the administrative burden for both the
ACMA and the amateur radio community. The immediate benefit would be
that licence and licence-renewal fees would disappear. The Wireless
Institute of Australia's response to the consultation can be found at
tinyurl.com/WIAsubm
The RSGB National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park is pleased to
announce that it will be hosting GB22YOTA on Saturday the 17th of
December. Any young amateurs, or those who are interested to learn
more about amateur radio, are welcome. The National Radio Centre is
located within the grounds of the Bletchley Park Museum. Entry
details and opening times can be found on the Bletchley Park website.
RSGB members can download an entry voucher for a free day-pass to the
National Radio Centre from the members' portal on the RSGB website.
The RSGB is looking for volunteers for two new roles: RSGB Lecture
Chair and RSGB Social Diversity Officer. The deadline for
applications is Monday the 16th of January. Full details of both
roles, including how to apply, are on the Society's website at
www.rsgb.org/volunteers
Does your school or college run an amateur radio club? Or are you
interested in setting up a club at your school or college? Following
the success of University Corner, the RSGB's online list of
universities with amateur radio clubs, the Society has launched
School Zone. This brings together details of schools and colleges
that have an active amateur radio club. If your school or college has
a club and would like to be included in the online list, please send
details to comms<at>rsgb.org.uk Contact details should include the
club callsign, if it has one, the school website URL and an email
address for the teacher or adult who runs the club. If you are a
pupil member of the club, please check those details before you send
them to the RSGB. You can find the new School Zone webpage at
rsgb.org/school-zone
The RSGB's Transatlantic Centenary Tests is running throughout
December to celebrate the Centenary of the first amateur radio
signals to cross the Atlantic. There are awards available for working
the special stations. Over 40,000 QSOs were made in the first week.
There are still opportunities to get involved so go to the RSGB
website at rsgb.org/tct to book an operating slot.
The RSGB's RadCom team is looking for authors to contribute to the
magazine. Previously unpublished features and articles are always
welcome for consideration. At the moment, the team is particularly
interested in hearing from people who enjoy writing about antennas.
To contact the RadCom team please email radcom<at>rsgb.org.uk
And now for details of rallies and events
The Yeovil Amateur Radio Club Rally will be held on Thursday the 29th
of December at Davis Hall, Howell Hill, West Camel, Yeovil, Somerset,
BA22 7QX. Doors will be open from 9.30am to 1pm and admission is
GBP 3. Free parking is available. The event will include bring and
buy as well as 20 tables for traders. For more information contact
Bob on 01963 440 167.
The Lincoln Shortwave Club Winter Radio Rally will be held on Sunday
the 29th of January at The Festival Hall, Caistor Road, Market Rasen,
LN8 3HT. Doors open at 9.30am and entry is GBP 2. Refreshments are
available on site and talk-in is available on 145.375MHz. For more
information email Graham via contact<at>m1dhv.co.uk
The Canvey Rally will be held on the 5th of February at Cornelius
Vermuyden [VER-MOW-DEN] School, Dinant Avenue, Canvey, Essex,
SS8 9QS. The Rally is expected to be the usual hive of activity with
plenty of traders and an indoor boot sale. Hot food and drinks will
be available. Contact sears.enquiries<at>gmail.com for further
information.
Now the Special Event News
Datta, VU2DSI will be active as AU2JCB until Tuesday the 13th of
December to commemorate the birthday of Indian physicist and radio
pioneer Jagadish Chandra Rose. He will be operating on the HF and VHF
bands using SSB and FM. QSL directly to his home callsign.
Members of Wingles [WANG-LUH] Radio Club in France will be active as
TM90GF until Saturday the 17th of December. The special callsign
marks the 90th anniversary of the death of General Gustave-Auguste
Ferrie, a pioneer in the field of military radio communications. QSL
via the bureau, eQSL or directly to F4KLR.
The Qatar Amateur Radio Society has announced that nine special event
callsigns will be active until Sunday the 18th of December to
celebrate the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Look out for the station HQ
callsign A722FWC, as well as eight callsigns that contain sequential
numbers, from A71FIFA to A78FIFA. The stations are active on the HF
bands and via the QO-100 Satellite. QSL via the bureau, Logbook of
the World or directly.
Special callsign PV22CUP will be active from Brazil until Sunday the
18th of December. The Brazilian Amateur Radio League is using the
callsign in celebration of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. QSL via Logbook
of the World and eQSL.
Now the DX news
Ferdy, HB9DSP will be active as 5H3FM from Zanzibar Island, AF-032,
Tanzania until Tuesday the 13th of December. He will operate SSB and
some FT8 on the 20, 15 and 10m bands. QSL via Logbook of the World or
via his home call.
Take, JI3DST will be active from Miyakojima [ME-A-CO-JIM-A], AS-079,
until Thursday the 15th of December. He will be operating SSB, CW and
FT8. QSL via Club Log and LogBook of the World.
Lester, W8YCM will be active as W8YCM/6Y from Jamaica, NA-097, until
January 2023. QSL directly via his home callsign.
Now the contest news
The ARRL 10m Contest ends today, the 11th, at 2359UTC. Using CW and
phone, the exchange is signal report and serial number. American,
Canadian and Mexican stations also send their state or province code.
On Tuesday the 13th of December, the 432MHz UK Activity Contest runs
from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 70cm band, the exchange
is signal report, serial number and locator.
Also on Tuesday the 13th of December, the 432MHz FM Activity Contest
runs from 1900 to 1955UTC. Using FM on the 70cm band, the exchange is
signal report, serial number and locator.
On Wednesday the 14th of December, the 432MHz FT8 Activity Contest
runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange
is report and four character locator.
On Thursday the 15th of December, the 70MHz UK Activity Contest runs
from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 4m band, the exchange is
signal report, serial number and locator.
Next Saturday the 17th of December, the Stew Perry Top Band Challenge
will start at 1500UTC and run for 24 hours. Using CW on the 160m
band, the exchange is your four character locator.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO
on Friday the 9th of December 2022
There's an old Chinese curse that says: "May you live in interesting
times". Well, the last week has been very interesting from an HF
propagation perspective!
The solar flux index increased from 111 on the 30th of November, to
148 on Thursday the 8th. During that time, we had more than 50
C-class solar flares and two M-class flares, while the Kp index
ranged from one to five. So, it's been a bit like having all four
seasons in one week!
HF propagation has varied dramatically as a result, with
round-the-world echoes and spotlight propagation being very prevalent
at times. Spotlight propagation is defined as a small geographic area
that is favoured with good propagation at any given time.
The Norfolk Amateur Radio Club operated G6ZZ for 48 hours as part of
the transatlantic centenary celebrations and worked more than 1,500
stations. Station manager Chris, G0DWV reports his highlights as:
"Hearing my own echo as the signal went around the world on several
occasions, being called by VK, Australia, and ZL, New Zealand, at
5/9+30dB with no one else on the band. And hearing echoes that made
it impossible to understand the caller's voice."
At the moment, it seems like it would be easy to dismiss an HF band
as being closed, when it could be wide open half an hour later.
The Sun is currently peppered with spots of all sizes. The USAF
predicts that the good conditions could continue for a few days yet,
with the solar flux index falling from 150 on Sunday to 110 by the
end of the week.
Calm geomagnetic conditions may continue and there are currently no
coronal holes in view. But please note that it only takes a single
coronal mass ejection to spoil things.
And don't forget that the low bands come into their own in Winter as
well. This is a good time to look for DX on 160, 80 and 40 metres,
especially in the late afternoon, after dark and at sunrise.
And now the VHF and up propagation news
This week's VHF propagation highlight is the Geminids meteor shower.
This is predicted to reach a broad peak over several days on either
side of 1300UTC on the 14th of December.
The Geminids zenithal hourly record has reached 140-150 in all recent
years so expect a good one with SSB QSOs possible for the
better-equipped stations using good operating techniques, and the
chance of 70cm digimode QSOs as well. The broad peak has a habit of
declining quite quickly once it's over.
In this present turn to cold winter conditions, prospects for high
pressure and tropo are looking limited, apart from a weak ridge over
northern Britain. Although even this is not a strong player.
Current weather conditions may appeal to the experimentally minded.
Intense cold and snow-covered ground can produce strong shallow
surface temperature inversions, so there may be interesting tests to
be done in some parts of the country. Also, watch out for snow
scatter on the high GHz bands if you see snowstorms around.
The solar-driven conditions mentioned in the previous section suggest
that further possibilities exist for auroral propagation, given a
high Kp index.
The dearth of Sporadic-E during the autumn months usually has a brief
respite around this time of the year from mid-December to
mid-January. It's very random but follow the usual summer routine of
checking the clusters and maps to select the right directions.
Although these isolated events can occur at the usual afternoon or
evening times for Es, they can and do crop up in the morning and
around the middle of the day.
Moon declination is positive but decreasing this week so Moon windows
will shorten and zenith angles decrease. Path losses are at their
highest with the Moon at apogee on Sunday night. 144MHz sky noise is
low all week.
And that's all from the propagation team t
his 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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