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G4TNU > NEWS 19.01.11 20:43l 180 Lines 9106 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 23 Jan
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday 23rd January 2011
The news headlines:
* Datamode groups join forces for contesting
* Celebrating 85 Years of Hospital Broadcasting in the UK
* GM0M-Z QSL manager change
The RSGB Contest Committee and the British Amateur Radio Teledata
Group have joined forces to promote data modes in contesting. For the
first time, the RSGB HF Championship this year will include non-RSGB
contests, beginning with the BARTG Sprint this weekend. This means
that data enthusiasts will now be able to participate in the RSGB HF
Championship. For more details see the RSGB Contest Committee
website, www.rsgbcc.org.
Hospital Broadcasting, also known as Hospital Radio, will be
celebrating 85 years in 2011. The first station started in 1926 in
York, and Hospital Radio has been entertaining patients in hospitals
up and down the UK ever since. Hospital Radio stations are run by
volunteers who give up a few hours of their time each week and also
they get involved in their local communities to help promote that
station and raise funds to keep their station on the air. To support
Hospital Broadcasting Week it is planned to run a small number of
Special Event stations from near the end of March to the beginning of
April. These will be run on behalf of some of the Hospital Radio
Stations. If you know of a local Hospital Radio Station and would
like to help them to put on such a station, or would just like more
information about this planned event, please e-mail
m0jec<at>nadars.org.uk.
Michael Whitehead, GM0PHW is no longer the QSL submanager for the
GM0M-Z series of callsign. The RSGB would like to thank him for his
voluntary efforts. The QSL sub manager post has now been passed to
Fred Roe, GM0ALS. All the cards in hand were sorted and bundled up
prior to the changeover, so the transition should be seamless.
Amateur radio enthusiasts in Brazil established essential
communication links in the aftermath of the recent mudslide and
floods. Working closely with local civil defence forces, amateur
services carried much-needed messages between rescue groups.
According to some sources, amateur radio was the only way of getting
messages across town. Emergency communications infrastructure has
since been put into place by the military and is now providing some
telephone and other services.
A minor error crept in to the RSGB AGM announcement in the February
RadCom. The nearest motorway junctions to the venue are M1 junction
24 and 25, not 24 and 28 as printed. We apologise for any
inconvenience this may cause.
And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week
The Horncastle Winter Rally will take place on 30 January in the
Horncastle Youth Centre, Lincolnshire LN9 6DZ. Doors open at 10.30am
and admission will be GBP 1.50. Details from Tony, G3ZPU on
01507 527835, e-mail G3ZPU<at>yahoo.co.uk.
Now for the news of special events
Southport & District Amateur Radio Club will be running GB5LLB from
Lytham Lifeboat Station on 29 January. The station is being run as
part of SOS Radio Week and is being sponsored, with all monies
received going to the RNLI. Contact can be made on 2m and whichever
HF bands are open on the day. The club would like to express their
thanks to Snowdonia Radio Company for supporting the station by
supplying the vertical HF antennas that will be used. Further details
can be found on the club's website at www.sadarc.org.uk.
Porthmadog and District Amateur Radio Society is supporting SOS Radio
week again this year. The club will be operating today, 23 January,
from 10am to 6pm from Criccieth life boat station and on 29 and 30
January from 10am to 6pm the club will be operating from the
Porthmadog Yacht club. The society will be using the callsign GB0PLB.
All visitors will be welcome to come along and join in or support.
Crewe Heritage Centre Amateur Radio Club will be taking part in the
SOS Radio week using GB4CHC today, 23 January, as well as on Saturday
29 and Sunday 30 January. The Club will have two stations on HF, one
running SSB and the other on digimodes. They are being sponsored at
10p per country contacted and money raised will go to the RNLI.
And now the HF DX news compiled from 425 DX News and other sources
DL9HCU is once again in the Pacific and will be active as 3D2HC from
Fiji. He likes 20m CW so listen out for him on 14.002 or 14.025MHz
between 0500 to 0800UTC. Also, watch out for him on 14.183MHz after
0500UTC as he will sometimes check into the ANZA Net. QSL via DL9HCU,
either direct or via the bureau.
SM6LRR will be active from Sri Lanka until 5 February as 4S7LRG. His
operation will be holiday style with a focus on 160, 80 and 40m. QSL
via his home callsign, SM6LRR.
N3ME and W3UR will be active from Barbados as 8P9ME and 8P9UR,
respectively, between 26 January and 14 February. Their operation
will be on all HF bands using CW, SSB, PSK and RTTY. QSL via their
home callsigns, direct, via the bureau or electronically using
Logbook of the World.
Eddy, ON4AFU will be active as HS0ZJF/8 from Koh Samui, which is IOTA
reference AS-101, until 10 February. QSL via his home callsign either
direct or via the bureau.
Look for Jeff, K8ND and Jim, W8WTS operating as PJ2/homecall until 3
February from Signal Point Contest Station on Curacao, SA-099. QSL
via their home callsigns either direct or via the bureau.
Now the contest news
The data leg of the 80m club championship takes place on 20 January
from 2000 to 2130UTC. The exchange is signal report and serial number.
The 50MHz UK Activity Contest takes place on 25 January from 2000 to
2230UTC. Using all modes the exchange is signal report, serial number
and locator. Please note that there are rule changes to the UKACs
this year, including new entry categories for 10 watt stations and
active users of the DX cluster and chat channels such as ON4KST.
There is also a change to the locator squares multiplier rule. To
ensure you enter the right category and avoid claiming the wrong
score, please check the full rules on the Contest Committee web site
at www.rsgbcc.org/vhf before the start.
The CQ WW 160m DX Contest takes place for the whole 48 hours of 29-30
January. Work the contiguous 48 States plus Canada only, giving a
signal report and CQ Zone, for which the UK is 14. USA stations will
send a signal report and their 2-letter State code, while Canadian
stations will send a signal report and their 3-letter Province code.
The final event of the month is the WAB 1.8MHz Phone Contest that
takes place on the evening of the 29th. It's the usual WAB contest
exchange of signal report, serial number and WAB area.
And now the solar factual data for the period from the 10th to the
16th of January, compiled by Neil Clarke, G0CAS on the 17th of
January.
The solar disc had spots visible every day, but on the 15th a medium
sized sunspot group rotated into view. This group was responsible for
three small C class solar flares that occurred on the 14th and 15th.
These had very little effect, if any, on propagation. The remaining
days' activity was very low. Solar flux levels declined slightly from
83 units on the 10th and the 11th to 79 by the 14th. The average was
81 units. The 90 day solar flux average was 84 units. That's the same
level as last week. X-ray flux levels increased slightly from A6.5
units on the 11th to B1 by the 15th. The average was A7.9 units.
Geomagnetic activity was quiet every day. The average daily Ap index
was 5 units. Solar wind data from the ACE spacecraft saw solar wind
speeds vary between 450 and 580 kilometres per second. Particle
densities were low every day except for a brief increase to 18
particles per cubic centimetre during the afternoon of the 16th. Bz
never varied more than minus and plus 7 nanoTeslas for the period.
And now the solar forecast. This week the slightly more active side
of the Sun is expected to be looking our way. Solar activity will be
at very low levels on some days but could increase to low levels on
other days. Solar flux levels are expected to increase and, later in
the week, could be around the 90s. Geomagnetic activity should be
quiet every day. MUFs during daylight hours at equal latitudes should
be about 23MHz for the south and 20MHz for the north. Darkness hour
lows are expected to be around 7MHz. Paths this week to Australia
should have a maximum usable frequency with a 50 per cent success
rate of about 22MHz. The optimum working frequency with a 90 per cent
success rate will be around 18MHz. The best time to try this path
will be between 0900 and 1300 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
10:00 on the Tuesday before transmission.
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