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M1CUK > NEWS 15.05.10 11:07l 216 Lines 10835 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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GB2RS NEWS
Sunday 16th May 2010
The news headlines
• New 4m propagation beacon in USA
• RSGB Convention bookings now online
• Cray Valley Award returns
A new high power 4m beacon has gone on the air in the USA, thanks to
Brian Justin, WA1ZMS. It operates at 70.005MHz with experimental
callsign WE9XFT. As there is no US 4m amateur allocation, it is
officially for propagation tests for US domestic and transatlantic
commercial use. The WE9XFT beacon transmits 3kW ERP towards Europe from
Bedford, Virginia. It is operational 24 hours a day and is licensed
until 1 September. The RSGB Propagation Studies Committee is
co-ordinating reception reports from the UK. Actual beacon reception
reports are requested, along with reports where 50MHz was open to the
USA but no signal was received on 70MHz. Reports should be emailed to
john@g4bao.com. Please see the online GB2RS for detailed information of
the requested format of reports.
You can now book your place at the RSGB Convention, which takes place
from 8 to 10 October near Milton Keynes. Full details of the convention,
booking information and prices, are on the www.rsgbevents.org website.
Formerly known as the HFC, the RSGB Convention has broadened its remit
to include the whole amateur spectrum. As usual there will be lectures
by the very best amateur radio speakers on a wide range of topics.
Cray Valley Radio Society has re-launched its Cray Valley Award. It is
available to any licensed radio amateur or short wave listener who works
or hears Cray Valley members, their club call G3RCV, or one of the many
special event stations the club have organised in the last 10 years.
Full details of activity periods and Award rules are available at
www.cvrs.org. Any profits from award applications received from
non-members will be donated to radio related charities.
The Easter Harlaxton amateur radio get-together and field day had to be
postponed due to bad weather. Organiser Jim, M0JHW has now re-arranged
the event for 22 and 23 May. It’s at the same venue, the Sports and
social club, Harlaxton, near Grantham, which is postcode NG32 1HX. There
will be amateur radio operations that visitors can join as well as
plenty of tea and coffee. A barbecue is planned for the Saturday
afternoon.
On Saturday 22 May Wakefield & District Radio Society is starting a
Foundation Licence Course. The cost will be £60 which includes all fees,
refreshments and temporary membership of the Society. Further details
from the Chairman, Ken Quinn, 2E0SSQ, on 07900 563117 or by e-mail to
2e0ssq@wdrs.org.uk.
Installation work is under way for the new repeater on the channel
island of Jersey. It is hoped to start on-air testing early next month.
Status updates are on the GB3GJ website at www.radioclubs.net/gb3gj.
And now for the details of rallies for the coming week
Next weekend, on Sunday 23 May, the Dunstable Downs Radio Club is
holding the National Amateur Radio Car Boot Sale at Stockwood Park,
Luton. The postcode for your satnav is LU1 5NR. Doors open at 9am and
entry is £2. Details on the web at www.ddrcbootsale.org.
Now for the news of special events
To mark the 10th anniversary of the closure of the world's largest
maritime radio station, Portishead Radio, GB10GKA is being activated
until 27 May. Hours of operation will be dependent on individual
operator's free time and operation will be primarily on CW. Mike, GW3UOF
will operate until 20 May from Treorchy in Mid Glamorgan. The final leg
will be taken by Pete G3TJE and Larry G4HLN from 21 to 27 May from
Burnham on Sea. Special Anniversary QSL cards will be produced to mark
this historic event, eQSL will also be used. Certificates for contacting
GB10GKA on more than four HF bands will be available. Contact Tony
Roskilly, G3ZRJ by e-mail at g3zrj.morsekey@btinternet.com.
Lough Erne Amateur Radio Club again this year will take part in the
weekend international Geoparks Communication event on 22 & 23 May, with
callsign GB2MAC at the Marble Arch Caves International Global Geopark.
GB2MAC will seek contacts with similar Geopark stations, including the
only other one in Ireland, EI2GEO at the Copper Coast Geopark in County
Waterford. Other Geopark stations include GB5GEO in Merthyr Tydfil and
GB6GEO from Kent’s Cavern in Torquay.
The Radio Society of Harrow will be operating GB1RBP from Bentley Priory
on 22 May. Operations are at the invitation of St Luke Hospice in
association with the Bentley Priory Battle of Britain Trust. The Society
will demonstrate amateur radio, Morse code and display some WWII
communications equipment at the former RAF Bentley Priory in Stanmore,
NW London. GB1RBP will be operational on HF, 2m and 70cm. The event is
open to the public from 11 until 4. There is an entrance fee. Apart from
the radio equipment there will be various displays, exhibitions, music,
re-enactors in period uniform, refreshments and, weather permitting, a
Spitfire flypast. Further details can be found at www.bentleypriory.org/p
df/1940s_Day_Booking.pdf.
And now the HF DX news compiled from 425 DX News and other sources.
Andrew, G7COD, has been issued with the callsign D2AK and will be
operational nearly every day from Luanda, the capital of the Republic of
Angola for the next 12 months while on a work assignment there. Expect
transmissions to take place throughout both day and night with no fixed
times on 80 to 10m including WARC frequencies using SSB and CW. For
comprehensive details, please check D2AK on QRZ.COM where you will find
more information concerning suggested frequencies, QSL procedure etc.
Larry, W6NWS will be in Vietnam until 9 June. He expects to be active as
XV2W when time permits, mainly around the CQ WPX CW and SEANET contests.
QSL via home call, direct or via the bureau and Logbook of The World.
Jan-Willem, PA7JWC will be active on the HF bands and 6 metres as
3B8/PA7JWC from Mauritius Island, which is IOTA reference AF-049, until
22 May. QSL via his home call, direct or via the bureau and Logbook of
The World. He has a website at www.pa7jwc.nl.
Alex, M0SFR will be QRV as ZL/M0SFR/QRP on the Great Barrier Island,
IOTA OC-201, from 21 to 23 May and will operate in weak signal modes
including JT65A and Olivia 16/250, primarily on 20 and 30m bands. CW and
SSB may be attempted if the conditions permit. Further information is on
QRZ.com.
Now the contest news
Today, 16 May, sees the final hours of the 144MHz May contest. It
finishes at 1400UTC. The exchange is signal report, serial number,
locator and postcode.
Also today is the 1st 144MHz Backpackers contest from 1100 to
1500UTC.The exchange for this event is signal report, serial number and
locator.
On 18 May the UHF UK Activity Contest takes place between 1900 and
2130UTC. Using all modes on the 1.3 and 2.3GHz bands the exchange is
signal report, serial number and locator.
The CW leg of the 80m Club Championships takes place at 1900 to 2030UTC
on 20 May. The exchange is signal report and serial number.
On 23 May the 70MHz Cumulative takes place between 1000 and 1200UTC.
Using all modes the exchange is signal report, serial number and
locator.
The EU PSK DX Contest on 22-23rd is unusual in that it is for BPSK63
only. It takes place between 1200 and 1200UTC on all bands between 3.5
and 28MHz. There are no fewer than 22 categories to enter, with the
maximum permitted power in any of them being 100 watts. The exchange is
also unusual in that it requires entrants to send their European Area
Code. Click on the link at http://eu.srars.org/index.php for a full
list.
Now the solar factual data for the period from the 3rd to the 9th of
May, compiled by Neil Clarke, G0CAS on the 10th of May.
The solar disc had sunspot groups visible everyday. In fact on the 5th
six groups were present. One of those groups grew rapidly in size and
magnetic complexity. However by 9th it had decayed just before it
rotated out of view. Before that the group had produced 7 C class and 1
M class solar flares. Solar activity increased to moderate levels on the
5th. Solar flux levels increased from 80 units on the 3rd to peak at 83
units by the 5th but then declined to 75 by the 9th. The average was 80
units. The 90 day solar flux average on the 9th was 81, that’s the same
level as last week. X-ray flux levels increased from A6.8 units on the
3rd to B1 by the 5th. The average was A7.2. The geomagnetic field
started at ‘active’ levels with the Ap index at 27 units, this was due
to a recurring coronal hole. Activity then declined but only to
unsettled levels. This is reflected in the weekly average which was Ap
11 units. The only quiet day was the 9th when the Ap was 4 units. Solar
wind data from the ACE spacecraft saw solar wind speeds increase to 750
kilometres per second on the 5th and then gradually declined to 360 by
the 9th. Particle densities were low throughout and varied between 1 and
3 particles per cubic centimetre. Bz varied no more than between minus 6
and plus 5 nanoTeslas for the period.
VHF aurora was reported for many hours on the 3rd on both 50 and 144MHz,
extending to southern England when the disturbance was at its peak. Just
before the onset of the storm there was a marked enhancement of HF
propagation over southerly paths, but MUFs were subsequently depressed
by several MHz.
And now the solar forecast.
This week the quiet side of the Sun is expected to be looking our way
and with it solar activity should be at very low levels. As previously
warned, it would only take one active sunspot group to change that.
Solar flux levels with a quiet Sun should be in the high 70’s for most
of the week. Geomagnetic activity is expected to be mostly quiet until
the end of the week when a recurring coronal hole disturbance is
expected to arrive. MUFs during daylight hours at equal latitudes should
be about 20MHz for the south and 17MHz for the north. Darkness hour lows
should be about 10MHz. Paths this week to South Africa should have a
maximum usable frequency with a 50 per cent success rate of about 27MHz.
The optimum working frequency with a 90 per cent success rate will be
around 21MHz. The best time to try this path will be between 110 and
1600 hours. Sporadic-E is expected to take place some days during the
coming week with opening up to 70MHz expected during any larger
openings.
And that’s all for this week from the propagation team.
--------------------------------------------------------
73
Trev,
SysOp gb7fcr.#16.gbr.eu
E-Mail trev@gb7fcr.co.uk
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