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G4FVG > NEWS 08.09.10 18:03l 244 Lines 14220 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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From: G4FVG@GB7COW.#44.GBR.EU
To : NEWS@EU
GB2RS NEWS for Sunday 12th September 2010
The news headlines
* RSGB EMC Pages Revamped
* G5RP Trophy nominations sought
* Radio clubs take part in Transmission 2010
The RSGB EMC Committee has totally refreshed the RSGB website pages covering
EMC matters. The new information contained in the pages should be of practical
help to anyone experiencing interference on the amateur bands, or causing
interference to nearby electronic equipment. Just as importantly, the site now
contains a survey questionnaire to capture information about the extent of
interference to amateur band reception. Please, if you are experiencing
regular local interference to your reception, report it on the short
questionnaire available under the "I am experiencing interference" pages. This
will enable the RSGB to build a creditable database of interference cases,
which will help in its discussions with Ofcom
The G5RP Trophy is an annual award to encourage newcomers to HF DXing.
However, the award is not limited to youngsters or the newly-licensed: the HF
DX bug can bite at any age or after many years of experience on other bands.
If you are an established HF DXer and want to recommend someone to be awarded
the G5RP Trophy for 2010, now is the time to send in your nomination. Your
nominee should be an up-and-coming HF DXer who has made rapid progress in the
last year and has some real achievements to show, for example, a good total of
new countries worked or some serious HF DXpedition activity.
This prestigious award will be presented this year at the RSGB HF Convention
on 8 - 10 October. Please send your nominations to John Gould, G3WKL, QTHR, or
by e-mail to g3wkl<at>btinternet.com to arrive no later than Friday 17
September.
British Wireless for the Blind Fund invites your club to take part in
Transmission 2010, their annual competition to make as many contacts across
the world as possible and raise money for a very worthwhile cause at the same
time. The Fund is a registered charity providing specially adapted radios and
audio equipment on free permanent loan to registered blind and
partially-sighted people in need in the UK. This year's competition will be
taking place over the weekend of the 18 and 19 September and many amateur
radio clubs will be taking part. But it's not too late to plan to take part.
To enter the competition, please go to www.blind.org.uk and fill in the
on-line form. Sponsorship forms and a poster can also be downloaded.
A new Network Affiliated RAYNET Group is being formed in the Mid-Pennine
region of Lancashire. The envisaged operating area is the boroughs of
Rossendale, Hyndburn and Burnley. Members of the amateur radio community who
are interested in joining are invited to e-mail mid.pennine.raynet<at>gmail.com
for further information.
Advance notice now that the frequency for the Morse Enthusiasts Group
(Scotland) will be changing from 3530kHz +/- QRM to 3555kHz +/- QRM. The day
and time will be every Monday at 1800UTC. The changes will take place on
Monday 6 December, although up to that date Doug, GM0AIR will call on 3530 and
QSY to 3555kHz.
The Edgware Activity Periods run from 21 September to 1 October in short
periods of operation. These can be found on their website,
www.g4gys.btinternet.co.uk. You can use SSB or CW on any or all of the bands.
The format and rules of the event are best checked out on the website. In
addition to individual club members, participation by club stations is
encouraged to spread some bonus points as shown in the rules. The Edgware Club
station, GX3ASR, will be operated once more by G3SJE and other club stations
should identify themselves by use of the GX prefix. The call to use to show
that you are participating in the event is, on CW, CQ EAP or, on SSB, CQ
Edgware Activity Period.
And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week.
A boot sale and open day organised by North Norfolk Amateur Radio Group will
be held at the Muckleburgh Collection military museum, Weybourne, Norfolk
today, Sunday 12 September. For one day only, admission to the museum will be
free, it is normally £6. The Radio Hut, restaurant and shop will be open to
visitors. There will also be a sale of surplus equipment from the museum's
stores and from the Group's radio collection. Army surplus CLANSMAN equipment
will also be on sale. Boot sale pitches cost £5. Set-up will be from 8am. Free
public admission from 10am. The Radio Hut, containing the Group's unique
collection of all-service communications equipment will be open all day and
members of the Group will be pleased to welcome visiting amateurs to the hut.
All enquiries to Bob Finch, G0HYZ, on 01263 838198. More details are available
on www.gb2mc.co.uk.
The Gatwick Family Radio Weekend will be held on 11 and 12 September at
Hunters Moon, close to Gatwick on the A217, RH6 0HU, TQ262438. Bring some
vintage-ish radio with you if you can and military vehicles of all radio types
are welcome. There will be special interest groups and plenty to interest the
family. More details from Mike, M1CCF, on 0208 654 2582.
Torbay Annual Communications Fair will take place today, 12 September, at
Newton Abbot Racecourse, Newton Abbot, Devon TQ12 3AF. There will be trade
stands, a Bring and Buy as well as an RSGB Bookstall.
The Fog on the Tyne Rally will take place on 18 September in the Whitehall
Road Methodist Church Hall, Bensham, Gateshead NE8 4LH. Doors open at 10.30am
and the entry fee is £1.50. There will be plenty of traders, both national and
local names, as well as special interest groups and an RSGB Bookstall. Details
from Nancy Bone on 0191 477 0036.
On Sunday 19 September, the Great Northern Hamfest will take place at the
Metrodome Leisure Centre, Queens Road, Barnsley, S71 1AN. Opening time is
11am. There will be trade stands, an RSGB bookstall and special interest
groups but please note there is no Bring and Buy. There are a limited number
of tables available at a reduced price for individual amateurs wishing to sell
their surplus equipment. Details from Ernie, G4LUE on 01226 716339.
Now for the news of special events
To celebrate the 497th Anniversary of the Battle of Flodden, GB2BCL will be
active on most HF bands today, 12 September, from Barmoor Castle, Lowick,
Northumberland. Event manger Roy, G0AXJ says visitors are welcome to the
station, which will be active from 10am to 7pm. The station is situated at the
Barmoor Castle West entrance gate. Talk-in will be available on 2m through
GB3BT on 145.700MHz. For more information please contact Roy on 0788 426 2029.
Sheffield Royal Society for the Blind will be hosting a special event station,
GB5RSB, to commemorate its 150th Anniversary. The station has been organised
in co-operation with Sheffield Amateur Radio Club and Radio Amateur Invalid
and Blind Club and will operate from Monday 13 September to Friday 17
September from 10am to 4pm each day. Operation is from the Society's
headquarters at 5 Mappin Street, Sheffield S1 4DT. Primary activity will be
telephony on the HF bands and possibly VHF via GB3US. QSL cards will be
issued. David Blunkett MP is expected to attend on the afternoon of Friday
17th September and the event will be publicised via local press and media.
Further information available from Steve Hambleton, G0EAK, on 0114 272 2757.
Glasgow and Clyde RAYNET group will be operational over the weekend of 18 and
19 September under the group callsign GM0RAY to raise funds for the British
Wireless for the Blind during the Transmission weekend. The group will be
transmitting from Carman Hill, which is located south of Loch Lomond above the
town of Alexandria. Operation will be on 80, 40, 20 and 17m as well as the 2m
band. For further information contact Paul Lucas on 0776 827 1736.
Over the weekend including 12 September, Bawdsey Research Station will be
activated for the final time, as GB70BRS, to commemorate the contribution of
radar to success in the Battle of Britain. In the previous operations they
have contacted around 700 stations each time across HF and 6m and hope to make
many more contacts in this final session. The Bawdsey Certificate is available
to stations that worked the Bawdsey site as GB75BRS in February and as GB70BRS
in either June or September. Proceeds from the Bawdsey Certificate are going
to the RAF Benevolent Fund. More detail about the awards, including examples
of the certificates and how to apply can be found on the BRS website at
http://bawdseyreserachstation.org.uk.
Cray Valley Radio Society operating as GB2BF will be taking part in British
Wireless for the Blind Fund's Transmission 2010 event over the weekend of the
18 and 19 September. The club will be operating from the Margaret McMillan
House field study centre near the summit of Wrotham Hill in Kent, which is
locator JO01DH, and will be active on the HF bands as well as 2 and 4m.
Further details may be found at www.cvrs.org.
And now the HF DX news compiled from 425 DX News and other sources
For the week starting 18th September, members of Sands Contest Group and
Workington Radio Club along with Brendon Minish, EI6IZ will be visiting the
Isle of Arran off the coast of south western Scotland. They plan to operate on
VHF, HF, SSB, CW and data modes under the callsign MS0SCG. The location is
IOTA island number EU123 and SCOTIA island number CS14. For more information
and an up to date blog on the event, check out the group's website at
www.m0scg.org.uk.
The Middlesex DX Group will be active on the Isle of Mull, which is IOTA
reference EU-008, from 18 to 24 September using the callsign GB2MUL. They plan
to be active on HF as well as 2, 4 and 6m. For further details check out the
website at www.dxcc.co.uk.
Guenter, IA5/DL3NBI, will be active from 12 to 20 September from Giglio
Island, which is IOTA reference EU-028. QSL via his home callsign.
Marcel, PD5MVH/P, will spend his holidays on the island Schiermonnikoog from
13 to 25 September. The island is IOTA reference EU-028. QSLs should be sent
via his home callsign.
Now the contest news
The 2nd 70MHz Contest takes place today, Sunday 12th, from 0900 to 1200UTC.
For many years this contest typically attracted between 16 and 21 entries, but
last year it shot up to 28. A sign of the times perhaps, with more and more
people in more and more countries coming onto the band. The exchange is signal
report, serial number and locator.
The European Chapter of the North American QRP CW Club will be holding its
first sprint from 1800 to 2000UTC on Monday 13 September. The frequencies in
use will be 3555 to 3560kHz, 7030 to 7,035kHz and 14060 to 14,065kHz. A
maximum of 5W may be used and the only mode must be CW.
Any licensed amateur is invited to take part and submit a log, but only
members of the NAQCC are eligible for awards. Membership is free and there are
already over 100 members in the UK.
The 432MHz UK Activity Contest takes place on 14 September from 1900 to
2130UTC. The exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
Following the success of the first 75 Baud Sprint, BARTG is running a second
Sprint 75 on 18 September between 1700 and 2100UTC. It will take place on the
80, 40, 20, 15, and 10m bands using RTTY 75 Baud only, the rules and scoring
can be found on the BARTG website http://bartg.co.uk/.
And now the solar factual data for the period from the 30th of August to the
5th of September, compiled by Neil Clarke, G0CAS on the 6th of September.
On the 2nd of September, NASA's investigations of the Sun took a giant leap
forward with the announcement of the Solar Probe Plus, a NASA mission to touch
the Sun. Slated for a launch in July 2018, it is expected to make its first
close approach during December 2024 when the spacecraft will plunge directly
into the atmosphere of the Sun. The sensors selected to ride aboard spacecraft
are designed to solve some of the biggest mysteries of solar physics,
including why the Sun's atmosphere so much hotter than its surface and what
propels the solar wind? We've been struggling with these questions for decades
and hopefully the mission will answer these and many more. At closest
approach, Solar Probe Plus will be 7 million kilometres from the Sun, compared
with over 149 million kilometres from Earth. From these near distances, inside
the Sun's atmosphere, the solar disk will loom 23 times wider than it does in
the skies above Earth.
Now back to the present. For most of the period the solar disc had up to 4
sunspot groups visible but most was small and inactive. Solar activity was
very low with no solar flares taking place. Solar flux levels increased from
75 units on the 30th to 82 by the 4th and the 5th. The average was 78 units.
The 90 day solar flux average on the 5th was 78 units, that's one unit up on
last week. X-ray flux levels increased slight during the period and averaged
A7.9 units. Geomagnetic activity was quiet every day and averaged Ap 4 units.
During the evening of the 5th a small coronal hole disturbance arrived but the
effects were very limited. Solar wind data from the ACE spacecraft saw solar
wind speeds vary between 300 and 460 kilometres per second. Particle densities
were low throughout, in fact on some days levels were well below 1 particle
per cubic centimetre. Bz varied no more than minus 8 and plus 9 nanoTeslas
during the week.
And now the solar forecast. This week solar activity is expected to be at very
low levels. There is the chance though, that activity could increase with the
occasional C class solar flare. Solar flux levels should be around the 80 mark
for most of the week. Geomagnetic activity is expected to be quiet everyday.
MUFs during daylight hours at equal latitudes should be around 21MHz for the
south and 18MHz for the north. Darkness hour lows should be about 10MHz. Paths
this week to the Middle East should have a maximum usable frequency with a 50
per cent success rate of around 21MHz. The optimum working frequency with a 90
per cent success rate will be about 17MHz. The best time to try the path will
be between 1000 and 1600 hours.
And that's all for this week from the propagation team.
... and for this main news bulletin.
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