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G4TNU > NEWS 09.02.11 17:16l 230 Lines 11717 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 13 Feb
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday 13th February 2011
The news headlines:
* RSGB AGM to be held in Derby
* RSGB looking for EMC volunteer
* Northern Train the Trainers session
Join us in Derby for the RSGB 2011 AGM. It will take place on
Saturday 16 April at the Menzies Mickleover Court, Etwall Road,
Mickleover Derby DE3 0XX. The whole day is geared to bringing the
RSGB to you and is an ideal opportunity for local clubs to socialise
and meet with each other and meet with senior RSGB officers. Winners
of the 2011 National Club of the Year, sponsored by Waters & Stanton,
will be announced.
Do you have legal skills? The Society is in need of some help in the
area of legislation concerning EMC and related matters in the UK and
European context. This person would be invited to join the EMC
Committee, either as a full member, a corresponding member or a
consultant. We need to further build our ‘in-house' strength on
European and UK legislation particularly as it applies to the
technologies involved in radio communication and EMC matters. If you
are a qualified lawyer, current or retired, and feel you can help the
team looking at this, or if you know of someone who might be willing
to offer some help, please contact the RSGB Director responsible, Don
Beattie, G3BJ, by email to g3ozf<at>btinternet.com or phone
01694 781 666.
A Train the Trainers day is being organised for 19 March at the
Carman Centre, Helensburgh. The purpose of the Train the Trainers
course is to offer tutors some guidance on running courses and
teaching techniques. If you are or wish to be a Registered Instructor
and wish to attend contact Len Paget, GM0ONX by e-mail to
GM0ONX<at>rsgb.org.uk or telephone 01563 534383 for further details.
After a successful Bath Morse Course that ran in 2010, Steve Hartley,
G0FUW and crew have announced more dates for the Morse code training
course. This year the course will run from 30 March until mid June.
All you need is a pen, some paper and the enthusiasm to learn the
code. Each week more letters are added to the mix in a proven method
thus increasing your Morse knowledge in a steady fashion. Later in
the course as you understand the alphabet and numbers more on air
etiquette is explored, and some fun games are played to allow you
retain the knowledge you have gained. At the end of the course
candidates can sit the RSGB competency test at a speed that suits
them best. Again this year Assessment will be conducted by Robin
Thompson, G3TKF. The lessons and test all take place at the Scout HQ
in Bath. Each meeting is held on Thursday evenings at 7pm. For more
information please e-mail Stave Hartley on g0fuw<at>tiscali.co.uk or
call him on 01225 464394
ARRL DXCC Manager Bill Moore, NC1L, reports that the 9X0SP 2010
DXpedition to Rwanda has been approved for DXCC credit. If you have
cards that were recently rejected for this operation, please send an
e-mail to the ARRL DXCC Desk. Once your record is updated, results
will appear in Logbook of The World accounts or in the live, daily
DXCC Standings.
Advance news now of a DXpedition. VK8NSB, VK8FNCY, 9M6DXX, 9M6XRO and
MW0JRX will be operating from Timor-Leste in East Timor between 16
and 26 September. The location will be Atauro Island, OC-232, 30km
north of the capital, Dili. The group is working closely with the
Timor-Leste licensing authority and the DXpedition callsign will be
announced soon. There will be three stations, two using full licensed
power linear amplifiers and a third running 100W. Antennas will
mainly be quarter-wave verticals and vertical dipoles, all located
within a few metres of the ocean. For 160m an inverted-L will be
used. Activity will be on all bands 10 - 160m using CW, SSB and RTTY.
Atauro Island was chosen in order to provide a quiet location, well
away from the electrical noise of down-town Dili. The beach-front
site will also allow the group to put up vertical antennas right by
the ocean, providing additional low-angle gain. In addition, the
island counts as OC-232 and is part of a very rare IOTA group, having
being confirmed by only 18% of active IOTA participants.
And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week
The Harwell Radio and Electronics Rally will take place today, 13
February, at Didcot Leisure Centre, Mereland Road, Didcot OX11 8AY.
Talk in will be on S22 and car parking is free. Entrance is GBP 2.50
and accompanied under 12s are free. Doors open at 10.30am and there
will be trade stands, special interest groups and refreshments
available. Details from Ann, G8NVI on 01235 816379.
The Northern Cross Rally returns to its former home at Thornes Park
Sports Centre, Horbury Road, Wakefield, WF2 8TY today, Sunday 13
February. There is plenty of parking, an RSGB Bookstall and all the
usual traders. There will also be several club and group stands.
Refreshments are available on site at reasonable prices and admission
is GBP 3. Doors open at 10.30am with disabled access from 10.15.
Bring & Buy Booking In is also from 10.15. More information from
www.northerncrossrally.org or contact Ken Quinn, 2E0SSQ on
07 900 563 117.
There are no rallies next weekend, the next events are on 27
February. Rainham Radio Rally will take place at Rainham School for
Girls, Derwent Way, Rainham, Gillingham, Kent ME8 0BX. Doors open at
10.00am. More details from Trevor, G6YLW, 0771 7678 795.
Also on 27 February, Swansea ARS Rally will be held at Court Herbert
Sports Centre, Neath Abbey, Neath SA10 7BE. Doors open at 10.30am and
entry is GBP 2 with free car parking. There will be trade stands and
a Bring & Buy along with special interest groups. Details from Roger,
GW4HSH, on 01792 404422.
Now for the news of special events
The Cornish Club will be running Thinking Day on the Air at
Gweal-an-Top school, Redruth, Cornwall on 19 February using the
special event callsign GB1RGG.
North Cork Radio Group will be active the call EI1NC/P on 19 and 20
February from the Blackrock Castle Observatory from 1000 to 1700UTC
both days. The venue is a 16th century Castle located 4km from the
heart of Cork city on the banks of the river Lee. The Castle has seen
many uses in its long history and now houses a cutting edge space
observation post.
And now the HF DX news compiled from 425 DX News and other sources
KA1YMX/8P will be active from Barbados while on holiday between 26
February and 5 March. His operation will be on CW and SSB using an
Elecraft K2. No other details are available. QSL via his home
callsign.
G3RWF will be active as 5X1NH from Fort Portal in western Uganda
between 20 February and 14 April. He prefers to operate CW but plans
to also be on the digital modes with some SSB on all bands except
160m. QSL via his home callsign or electronically using Logbook of
the World.
Two American operators plan to operate on the amateur bands from
Haiti between 18 February and 5 March. They will be working at a
local Christian Mission and during their spare time will be on the
air as HH4/K4QD and HH4/AF4Z.
J88DR will be active again from 16 February to 14 March. This is the
call used by Dave, G3TBK while on the Caribbean island of St Vincent.
Dave is interested in contesting and will be QRV in the ARRL DX CW
Contest as well as the ARRL DX SSB Contest and the Commonwealth
Contest during that period.
An international team will operate from Cameroon using the call TJ9PF
until 20February. QSL manager is F5OGL and full details of the
DXpedition can be found on www.tj9pf.fr.
Now the contest news
Over the full 48 hours of the weekend of 12-13th the CQWW WPX RTTY
contest will keep the data portions of the bands busy. Exchange a
signal report and serial number. Multi-two and multi-multi entrants
use separate serial number sequences per band, while all others use
just the one. In parallel with it the CW and SSB portions of the
bands will also be busy, because the PACC, VERON contest takes place
for 24 hours. Send a signal report and serial number, but expect to
receive a report and a 2-letter Province code from Dutch stations.
The 80m Club Championships data leg takes place on 16 February from
2000 to 2130UTC. The exchange is signal report and serial number.
The 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest takes place on 15 February from 2000
to 2230UTC. Using all modes the exchange is signal report, serial
number and locator.
On 22 February the 50MHz UK Activity Contest takes place between 2000
and 2230UTC. Using all modes on the band the exchange is signal
report, serial number and locator.
Also on 22 February, the SHF UK Activity Contest takes place at the
same time, 2000 to 2230UTC. Using bands between 2.3 and 10GHz and all
modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
And now the solar factual data for the period from the 31st of
January to the 6th of February, compiled by Neil Clarke, G0CAS on the
7th of February.
Solar activity was at very low levels, only just though, because on
the 4th just after midday a B9.5 solar flare occurred just falling
short of the C class, which would have increased activity to low.
Solar flux levels varied little day to day and averaged 80 units. The
90 day solar flux average on the 6th was 99, that's one unit down on
last week. X-ray flux levels averaged A4.6 units and remained steady
all week. Geomagnetic activity started at quiet levels but during the
second half of the 4th levels increased to storm levels. Studying the
solar wind data it would appear that a coronal hole disturbance and a
coronal mass ejection that departed the Sun on the 30th of January
arrived here at Earth at the same time. This resulted in a short but
intense storm with stations in the Midlands capable of auroral
contacts on 50 and 144MHz. Stations north of the border had this
privilege for much longer. The Ap index on the 4th was 21 units. The
average was Ap 9 units. Solar wind data from the ACE spacecraft saw
solar wind speeds increase from 300 kilometres per second to 670
early on the 5th. Particle densities started the period with up to 30
particles per cubic centimetre on the 31st and the 1st but then
declined to more normal levels. Bz showed little variation at first
but fluctuated to minus 20 and plus 16 nanoTeslas at the height of
the storm during the evening of the 4th.
And now the solar forecast. Old region 1149 that produced eight C
class solar flares on its last rotation should have rotated back into
view. Depending on how active this region is will decide on the level
of solar flare activity for the coming week. Solar activity could
increase to low levels on some days. Solar flux levels should be
around the 90 mark for most of the week. A quiet geomagnetic week is
expected with the Ap index in single figures throughout. MUFs during
daylight hours at equal latitudes should be about 22MHz for the south
and 19MHz for the north. Darkness hour lows should be around 8MHz.
Paths this week to India should have a maximum usable frequency with
a 50 per cent success rate of about 23MHz. 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 10:00 and 13:00 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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