| |
G4TNU > NEWS 08.06.11 16:49l 259 Lines 13493 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
BID : 64606G4TNU
Read: GUEST
Subj: RSGB Main News - 12 Jun
Path: IZ3LSV<IK6ZDE<I0OJJ<GB7CIP<GB7CIP<GB7CIP
Sent: 110608/1501Z @:GB7CIP.#32.GBR.EU $:64606G4TNU
T:From: G4TNU@GB7CIP.#32.GBR.EU <g4tnu@gb7ipf.ampr.org>
T:Newsgroups: ampr.news.europe
T:Message-Id: <E12315_G4TNU@gb7ipf.ampr.org>
GB2RS Main News for Sunday 12th June 2011
The news headlines:
* WRC-12 preparation on Oceanographic radars on 5MHz
* Latest DXpedition to Macquarie Island approved for DXCC credit
* ARISSat-1 challenge
Some members may have noticed the ARRL news item on Oceanographic
radars on 5MHz, which concerns a US proposal in the WRC-12
preparatory process for allowing wave-sensing radars to use 5.250 -
5.450MHz, amongst other frequencies. Whilst the Inter-American
Telecommunication Commission, CITEL, may adopt this proposal, our
regional telecommunications organisation, CEPT, is moving toward a
European Common Proposal that in the 5MHz region proposes the band
5.060 – 5.160MHz.
ARRL DXCC Manager reports that the current VK0KEV DXpedition to
Macquarie Island has been approved for DXCC credit. If you have cards
that were recently rejected for this operation, 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.
ARISSat-1 is scheduled for deployment from the International Space
Station in July. It has a composite VHF downlink that will fit into
the FUNcube Dongle receive spectrum. The telemetry is 1000 bps BPSK
and can also be received with a normal SSB 2m receiver. The expected
signal levels from ARISSat should be similar to those expected from
FUNcube itself. The team are keen to discover what will be the
minimum and best type of antennas for schools to use with a FUNcube
Dongle. Therefore user experience with the ARISSat signals will be
very valuable in making this determination. To encourage everyone to
receive ARISSat signals, AMSAT UK are challenging listeners. There
are a number of categories for this challenge for both 2m receiver
and Dongle users. Full details can be found at www.uk.amsat.org.
A report on ISP Review says that a pilot using Broadband over Power
Line will take place in the village of Shap in Cumbria. This pilot is
being run alongside the installation of Smart Meters and there are
concerns that BPL may be deployed along with the rollout of Smart
Meters in the rest of the UK. The pilot is being run by a USA based
telecoms firm called Gridline Communications that has teamed up with
Electricity Northwest, Cable and Wireless Worldwide and T-Systems.
You can read the ISP Review report at www.ispreview.co.uk under news
headlines for 7 June. The RSGB EMC committee has written to Ofcom
about this pilot. The May issue of the EMC Journal also has several
important stories on the growing problem of interference to radio
reception from consumer PLT devices. Download issue 94 of the EMC
Journal from www.compliance-club.com/pdf/Issue94.pdf.
A new amateur radio group has been formed for radio amateurs who are
also members of one of the emergency services. The group will
initially be coordinated via Facebook. It is open to retired or
serving members of any of the emergency services and is free to join.
Simply search for Emergency Services Amateur Radio DX Group on
Facebook and sign up, or contact Jim, GM0GMN, QTHR, for further
information.
The International Museums weekend is being held over the two weekends
of 18 and 19 June and again 25 and 26 June. All individual amateurs,
groups and clubs are encouraged to work with their local museums to
host a special event station. The museums taking part over the years
have included ships, castles, air museums, Napoleonic forts, pumping
stations, wireless museums, racing museums and many others. There
really is no shortage of venues in which such an event can be staged,
no matter where you might live. Those clubs and museums that do
decide to take part should please use the online Registration
facility at www.ukradioamateur.co.uk/imw. The Registration is simply
to assist the organisers in administration of the event and provide
those taking part with an indication of how many and exactly where
the museums taking part are located.
The Open University Students Association Amateur Radio Forum is going
QRT this month, brought about by changes to the new virtual learning
environment. Over its OU life the forum has had many a world wide
radio enthusiast who are students of the Open University call in to
the forum. It is hoped that under the new OU environment another
forum can rise up.
And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week
The 10th Junction 28 QRP Rally will take place today, 12 June, at
Alfreton Leisure Centre, Church Street, Alfreton, Derbyshire
DE55 7BD. The venue is just 10 minutes from junction 28 of the M1 and
the A38. Doors open at 10am and there will be trade stands and a
Bring & Buy, special interest groups and catering. More details from
Russell Bradley, G0OKD on 01773 783658.
Also today, 12 June, the Ipswich Radio Rally will be held at The
Orwell Crossing Lorry Park, A14 Eastbound, Nacton, Ipswich IP10 0DD.
There will be a car boot sale, a Bring & Buy, RSGB bookstall and
Special Interest Groups in attendance. Doors open at 9.30am and the
entry fee is GBP 1. Contact Steve, M1ACB on 07711 329624.
A Train the Trainers course will take place on 18 June at the Old
Mill Community Centre, West Street, South Normanton, Derbyshire. The
event will start at 10am and includes a free lunch as well as a
raffle. If any tutors would like to attend, please contact Jim
Stevenson, G0EJQ, by e-mail to g0ejq<at>live.co.uk.
The Newbury Radio Rally and Boot Sale will take place on 19 June at
the Newbury Showground, next to M4 junction 13. There will be a big
display area of amateur radio stations, exhibitions, special groups,
clubs and societies. There is free car parking, admission is GBP 2
and doors open at 9am. Sellers have access from 8am and pitches cost
GBP 10. Details from rally<at>nadars.org.uk.
Now for the news of special events
King's Lynn Amateur Radio Club is having a field day station in the
grounds of Castle Rising Castle, by kind permission of Lord Greville
Howard, today, Sunday 12 June. The station will be operating on all
HF bands. Any amateurs in the King's Lynn area on that day are
welcome to call in and see the station. The castle is north of Kings
Lynn, just off the A149 Hunstanton road.
Reading and District Amateur Radio Club will be operating GB2MBA for
Museums on the Air on 18 and 19 June at the Museum of Berkshire
Aviation, Mohawk Way, Woodley.
GB2RAF will be on the air from the RAF Air Defence Radar Museum at
RAF Neatishead, Norfolk NR12 8YB on 18 June for International Museums
on the Air Weekend.
Welland Valley Amateur Radio Society will put GB0BON on the air on 19
June to commemorate the 366th anniversary of the Battle of Naseby.
The station will be located at Rupert's Viewpoint, just south of
Market Harborough in Leicestershire, on the Clipston Road. Rupert's
Viewpoint is one of the highest vantage points in the area.
Bittern DX Group will be activating Oxburgh Hall as GB2OH until 19
June as part of the Castles and Stely Homes on the Air programme.
More information can be found at the Bittern DX website or at
www.cashota.co.uk.
And now the HF DX news compiled from 425 DX News and other sources
On 11 June, a three day activation of market Reef will commence. They
will have two stations active as OJ0B, primarily for 17, 20 and 30m
CW and SSB. It is also expected that one of the lighthouse keepers,
Harri, OH6VM/OH0VM will follow the group for another week with the
beam. QSL via OH2BH.
J48O will be on the air from Kastri lighthouse on the Othonoi islet,
which is IOTA reference EU-052, from 17 to 25 June. More information
can be found on QRZ.com.
John, K9EL will be active from the Caribbean island of Saint Martin
as FS/K9EL until 19 June. He will use CW, SSB and some RTTY on all
bands from 6 to 80m during his stay there. QSLs go via the home
callsign and logs will be uploaded to Logbook of the World.
Now the contest news
The 6-hour Practical Wireless 2m Low Power Contest takes place on
Sunday 12th, the first four hours of which coincides with the 2m
Backpackers event. The maximum power level is 3 watts and multipliers
are locator squares. Starting at 0900UTC, the exchange is signal
report, serial number and locator.
Low power enthusiasts will be heading for the hills again for the 2nd
144MHz Backpackers contest between 0900 and 1300UTC. Using all modes
the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
The 432MHz UK Activity Contest takes place on 14 June from 1900 to
2130UTC. Using all modes the exchange is signal report, serial number
and locator.
The following day, 15 June, is the latest CW leg of the 80m Club
Championships from 1900 to 2030UTC. The exchange is signal report and
serial number.
The biggest RSGB VHF event of the month is undoubtedly the 50MHz
Trophy, which takes place for 24 hours over the weekend of 18-19th.
There will be plenty of UK portables operating, some from rarely
activated squares, so unless your locator map has all the squares
coloured in there's likely to be potential for working some new ones.
This event is often blessed with enhanced propagation for at least
part of the time, so as well as the potential to work some new UK
squares, some new Continental ones might also come your way.
Operation is from 1400 to 1400UTC, using all modes and the exchange
is signal report, serial number and locator.
The Worked All Britain 50MHz Phone contest takes place next Sunday,
19 June, from 0900 to 1500UTC. The exchange is signal report, serial
number and WAB square. Full details of the rules and logsheets may be
obtained from the WAB website www.worked-all-britain.co.uk or from
the Contest Manager, G3XKT, by e-mail to aebbooks<at>ntlworld.com.
The IRTS 80m Counties contest also takes place on the 19th from 1400
to 1700UTC. For those outside EI/GI, work EI and GI only. Send a
report and serial number, and expect to receive the same plus County
And now the solar factual data for the period from the 30th of May to
the 5th of June, compiled by Neil Clarke, G0CAS on the 6th of June.
With numerous sunspot groups visible every day, all were small and
quiet except for two regions that produced C class solar flares every
day except for the 4th and the 5th. By then they had decayed and
became much smaller. With a couple of the larger solar flares a
coronal mass ejection took place. Solar flux levels declined from 114
units on the 1st to 103 by the 4th and the 5th. The average was 109
units. The 90 day solar flux average on the 5th was 106 units, that's
two units down on the previous week. X-ray flux levels averaged B3.2
units and showed little variation day to day. Geomagnetic activity
was quiet on the 30th but by the 31st and the 1st, a coronal mass
ejection arrived that departed the Sun on the 29th. The Ap index for
the 31st and the 1st was 13 and 12 units respectively. Activity
returned to quiet levels till the 4th and the 5th when the Ap index
increased to 15 and 27 units respectively. This disturbance was in
response to a coronal mass ejection which occurred on the 2nd and a
coronal hole disturbance arriving around the same time. The average
was Ap 13 units. Solar wind data from the ACE spacecraft saw solar
wind speeds decrease from 720 kilometres per second on the 30th to
380 by the 3rd before speeds increased again to 560 by the end of the
period. Particle densities were low but increased to 22 and 18
particles per cubic centimetre on the 4th and the 5th respectively.
Bz varied between minus and plus 4 nanoTeslas on the quiet days and
between minus 19 and plus 20 nanoTeslas during the disturbance on the
4th.
And now the solar forecast. This week the quiet side of the Sun is
expected to be looking our way. Solar activity should be very low to
low. Unless a large sunspot group appears during the week, solar flux
levels are expected to be around the 90's or even lower into the
80's. Easier to forecast are coronal holes, which rotate like
sunspots every 28 days. Sunspot groups tend not too last for more
than a couple of rotations, at least at this stage of the cycle
anyway. However, coronal holes can last for many months and for this
reason are much easier to forecast. A coronal hole disturbance should
be taking place today and maybe tomorrow but then for the rest of the
week activity should be at quiet levels. MUFs during daylight hours
at equal latitudes should be around 22MHz for the south and 19MHz for
the north. Darkness hour lows should be around 12MHz. Paths this week
to the east coast of North America should have a maximum usable
frequency of about 23MHz. The optimum working frequency with a 90 per
cent success rate will be around 17MHz. The best time to try this
path will be between 1500 and 2200 hours. This path should be open
via multi-hop sporadic-E on 28 and 50MHz on some days. Now, at the
peak of the summer season expect openings almost everyday on the
lower VHF bands and also occasionally on 144MHz.
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.
Read previous mail | Read next mail
| |
