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G4TNU > NEWS 08.12.10 19:28l 184 Lines 9583 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 12 Dec
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday 12th December 2010
The news headlines:
* Eight African operations approved for DXCC
* Advanced Classes and Distance Learning
* Straight Key Night on OSCAR 2011
ARRL DXCC Manager Bill Moore, NC1L, reports that eight operations in
Africa, 9Q/DK3MO, 3C0C, 3C9B, 3V9A, 3V0A, TS7TI, TS8P and TS9A, have
been approved for DXCC credit. All operations, with the exception for
the 9Q/DK3MO, are 2010 operations. The 9Q/DK3MO operation is good for
operations commencing in 2007 through to the present. If you had
cards for any of these operations rejected in recent applications,
please send an e-mail to the ARRL DXCC Desk. Results will appear in
Logbook of The World accounts, as well as online on the daily
listings.
An Advanced Radio Communications Exam course is planned to commence
in Bath on Thursday 13 January. This is aiming for the June 2011 exam.
A number of Intermediate licence holders have already signed up but
there is room for more. Following the success of a number of home
study students last year, Steve Hartley, G0FUW, who leads the Bath
courses, is also willing to offer distance learning support to those
who cannot get to classes. These classes are kindly sponsored by the
City of Bristol RSGB to keep costs as low as possible. Full details
from Steve, G0FUW, who is QTHR. Details on QRZ.com are correct, or
you can e-mail g0fuw<at>tiscali.co.uk.
You are invited to participate in Straight Key Night on OSCAR 2011,
conducted by AMSAT. This year's event is dedicated to the memory of
Dick Peacock, W2GFF, who died in 2010 aged 91. Dick was an active
satellite operator in the 1970s and 80s, mostly on CW and usually
with a straight key. There are no rules, no scoring and no logs
required. Just operate CW on any OSCAR satellite, using a straight
hand key, from 0000UTC to 2400UTC on 1 January 2011, working as many
Straight Key Night stations as you can. In keeping with the friendly
nature of this event, each participant is asked to nominate one of
the operators worked for ‘Best Fist'. It is not necessary that your
nominee has the best fist of anyone you heard, just of those you
worked. Please email your nomination to W2RS, w2rs<at>amsat.org.
Have you registered to take part in SOS Radio Week yet? It's only
five weeks until the start of SOS Radio Week. Icom have agreed to
sponsor the event and have donated prizes for the individual and club
or team that raises the most money for the RNLI during the event. To
register, visit the website at www.sosradioweek.org.uk and click over
the Register option on the menu. Once registered you'll be able to
download the official sponsorship forms and lots of other useful
documentation.
On 17 December, a new trio of flight engineers are expected to arrive
at the International Space Station following a 15 December launch.
They are US astronaut Catherine Coleman, KC5ZTH, the European Space
Agency's Paolo Nespoli, IZ0JPA and Russian cosmonaut Dmitry
Kondratyev.
Peter Chadwick, G3RZP has been re-appointed as Chairman of European
Telecommunications Standards Institute Committee ERM_TG30, Wireless
Medical Applications. Nigel Wilson, G4VVZ, has been appointed
Chairman of ETSI ERM_TGDMR, Digital Mobile Radio.
Please note that there will be a GB2RS bulletin as usual next week on
Sunday 19 December, but not on the two following Sundays, 26 December
and 2 January. The first GB2RS of the New Year will be on Sunday 9
January. Anyone with news of events taking place between now and 9
January should send it to the RSGB by e-mail to gb2rs<at>rsgb.org.uk
as soon as possible. The deadline is, as always, 10am on Tuesday
morning, so that copies can be posted to those few remaining
newsreaders that do not download the script from the internet. We
would like to thank all those who regularly send in items for GB2RS
and look forward to hearing from you in 2011. We would also
particularly like to thank the network of Main and Reserve
Newsreaders, without whom the News would not be heard and Jeremy
Boot, G4NJH for his weekly GB2RS podcast.
And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week
The first rallies of 2011 will be on 16 January.
Dover Radio Rally will be held at Whitfield Village Hall, Dover
CT16 3LY which is on the A2 just outside of Dover. The event was
revived last year and was such a success that they have hired extra
space for the rally this year. The focus will be on radio related
items not other electronic bits and bobs. The website
www.doverradiorally.com has all the usual information required.
The Red Rose Winter Rally will be held at the George H Carnall
Leisure Centre, Kingsway Park, M41 7FJ. There is free car parking
available and doors open at 11am. There will be trade stands, a Bring
and Buy as well as an RSGB bookstall. Details from Steve on
07502 295 141.
Now for the news of special events
We have no details of special event stations operating this week.
And now the HF DX news compiled from 425 DX News and other sources
Siegfried, DK9FN and Hans Peter, DG1FK are heading back to Nendo
Island, which is IOTA reference OC-100. Listen for H40FN and H40FK
from 21 December to 3 January on CW, SSB and RTTY. QSL H40FN via
HA8FW and H40FK via DG1FK.
Karel, ON5TN will be staying at the Belgian Antarctic base Princess
Elisabeth, Antarctica until 24 February 2011. He plans to operate
again as OR4TN in his spare time, starting in December. Updates will
be posted on qrz.com under OR4TN. QSL via ON5TN.
Look for Hennie, PJ4/PE1MAE, active from Bonaire, IOTA SA-006. QSL
via bureau or direct to PA2NJC.
Now the contest news
14 December sees the 432MHz UK Activity Contest taking place between
2000 and 2230UTC. Using all modes the exchange is signal report,
serial number and locator.
For a very different challenge, how about trying the Russian 160m
Contest? It takes place on Friday 17 December and is in fact two
contests, each of which lasts just one hour, the second following on
immediately from the first. There are single- and multi-op sections
for young ops, those born 1990 and after, and seniors. The web page
at www.radio.ru/cq/contest/rule/map-2.gif shows how to calculate your
grid square which not the same as a Locator square, with most of the
British Isles being in X4. The website also shows how the multipliers
work for making QSOs into adjacent and further squares.
The RAC Canadian Winter Contest takes place on the following day, 18
December, between 0000 and 2359UTC. In this one there are nine entry
categories and a certificate is offered to the top scoring station in
each DXCC entity, so several could be awarded to UK stations. Only
four UK stations appear in the 2008 results, all from England, and
six in the 2009 results, all from England again, so clearly this
contest presents a great opportunity for those who live in other
parts of the UK to get themselves some ‘wallpaper'.
21 December is the UHF UK Activity Contest that takes place between
2000 and 2230. Using all modes on the 1.3 and 2.3GHz bands, the
exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
And now the solar factual data for the period from the 29th of
November to the 5th of December, compiled by Neil Clarke, G0CAS on
the 6th of December
The solar disc had several sunspot groups visible on most days.
However, most groups were small and quiet. Only one C class solar
flare took place and this occurred on the 1st. Solar flux levels
increased slightly from 83 units on the 29th to 88 by the 5th. The
average was 86 units. The 90 day solar flux average on the 5th was 82
units, that's the same levels as last week. X-ray flux levels
remained steady most days and averaged B1 units. Geomagnetic activity
was very quiet every day; the most disturbed days only had an Ap
index of 3 units. The average was Ap 2 units. Solar wind data from
the ACE spacecraft saw solar wind speeds decline from 480 kilometres
per second on the 29th to 270 by the 3rd. Particle densities were low
throughout. With a quiet geomagnetic field Bz, as expected, showed
little variation with fluctuations of no more than minus 5 and plus 4
nanoTeslas for the period.
And now the solar forecast. This week the quiet side of the Sun is
expected to rotate into view. Without the appearance of a large
sunspot group, solar activity is expected to be at very low levels.
Solar flux levels should be in decline this week and be around the 80
mark by next weekend. Presently, there are no reasonably sized
coronal holes on the Sun. They tend to be a more common feature
during the decaying stage of the sunspot cycle. Geomagnetic activity
is expected to be quiet every day. MUFs during daylight hours at
equal latitudes should be around 24MHz for the south and 21MHz for
the north. Darkness hour lows should be about 7MHz. Paths this week
to Japan should have a maximum usable frequency with a 50 per cent
success rate of around 19MHz. The optimum working frequency with a 90
per cent success rate will be about 14MHz. The best time to try this
path will be between 0700 and 1000 hours.
And that's all for this week from the propagation team.
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 gb2rs<at>rsgb.org.uk to arrive by
09:00 on the Tuesday before transmission.
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