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G4TNU > NEWS 17.08.11 16:05l 230 Lines 11670 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 21 Aug
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday 21st August 2011
The news headlines:
* G5RP Trophy nominations sought
* ComReg grants EI amateurs up to 1500 watts in contests
* IARU Region 1 conference concluded
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 2011, 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 Convention
on 7 to 9 October. Please send your nominations to Ian Greenshields,
G4FSU, QTHR, or by e-mail to ian.greenshields<at>gmail.com, to arrive
no later than Friday 23 September.
A few months ago the Irish Radio Transmitters Society announced that,
after some two years of negotiations, Irish regulator ComReg had
agreed that EI licensees would be allowed to run high power in
specified contests. Everything then went quiet for a couple of
months, but ComReg has now published a document on their web site
implementing the change. Consequently, suitably equipped Irish
contesters are now able to run 1500 watts in major HF contests and
1000 watts in VHF/UHF contests. The list of permitted events is
similar to the one in which UK stations may use short contest
callsigns, although more contests could be added to the list in due
course. Interestingly, the increased power limit applies to 4m and
the whole of the 160m band, but, curiously, not the 10m band.
The 22nd International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 General
conference, held in Sun City, South Africa has now concluded. For
details on the papers, discussions and a gallery of photographs go to
the IARU Region 1 website, www.iaru-r1.org.
Thanks to the work of volunteers from the British Amateur Television
Club, videos of the presentations given at this year's AMSAT-UK
International Space Colloquium are now available online at
www.uk.amsat.org.
Telemetry from the recently-launched ARISSAT-1 suggests that the
spacecraft's battery is failing faster than expected. The satellite
works when it is in sunlight but resets itself when it goes into
eclipse. The ARISSAT-1 team is closely monitoring the situation and
is posting news updates at www.arissat1.org.
This weekend the 14th Annual International Lighthouse/Lightship
Weekend takes place. Stations will be on the air until 2359UTC on the
21st. The basic objective of the fun event is to promote awareness of
lighthouses and lightships and their need for preservation, to
promote amateur radio, and to foster International goodwill. For an
official lists of entrants, which total 439 including 18 lightships,
check out the website at www.illw.net.
In addition to scheduled ATV streaming of GB2RS news in the UK via
batc.tv and audio podcasts, scheduled transmissions of the GB2RS News
are now available courtesy of VK7AX in Tasmania. These broadcasts
started on Monday 15 August at 2000hrs local Tasmania time, which is
1000UTC, via voice repeaters, ATV, ATV Video Stream, EchoLink &
Allstar.
A Wainwrights on the Air activity weekend will take place on 27 to 29
August. Stations operating from a number of the Lake District Fells,
mostly using 2m FM, calling S20, will be on the air. New Activators
and Chasers are encouraged to join in. More details can be found at
www.wota.org.uk.
And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week
The Rugby, Princethorpe, Annual Radio Rally takes place today, 21
August, at Princethorpe College, Princethorpe, Rugby CV23 9PX. Doors
open from 10am to 4pm and admission is GBP 2. Contact Tony on
07759 684 411.
Milton Keynes ARS Rally takes place on 28 August at Bletchley Park,
Sherwood Drive, Bletchley, Milton Keynes MK3 6EB. There will be trade
stands, special interest groups and GB2BP will be on the air. Why not
make this a family day and visit the Bletchley Park museum too? More
details can be seen at www.mkars.org.uk.
On bank holiday Monday, 29 August, Huntingdonshire ARS Rally takes
place at St Neots Community College, Barford Rd, St Neots PE19 2SH.
Doors open at 10am and admission is GBP 2. There will be trade
stands, a car boot sale, Bring & Buy and RSGB bookstall. Contact
Clive Burchell, G3NKQ, on
01480 810 473.
Now for the news of special events
The Radio Society of Harrow will be operating GX3EFX and
demonstrating amateur radio from a 14th Century small barn at the
Harrow Museum for the Harrow in Leaf Show on 28 and 29 August. The
museum site consists of a granary, large 16th century tithe barn,
with 12th century moated manor house built by the Bishop of
Canterbury.
For rugby enthusiasts, look out for ZL4RUGBY operated by ZL4PW from
19 August until 31 October. This is to celebrate the 2011 Rugby World
Cup being played in New Zealand.
And now the HF DX news compiled from 425 DX News and other sources
A group of nine operators from the Telford & District ARS are
activating Guernsey under the callsign GP3ZME/P until Wednesday 24
August. They have equipment for all the HF bands, plus 6 and 2
metres, 23cm and all the microwave bands right up to 24GHz. Their
locator is IN89QK and further details can be seen on the Telford club
website, www.TDARS.co.uk.
W7GJ plans to be active from Samoa on a 6m EME DXpedition during the
final week of August. His callsign will be 5W0GJ. QSL direct to W7GJ.
A number of operators from South Korea and Japan will operate from
the South Korean island of Cheju, which is IOTA reference AS-026,
from 19 to 26 August using the callsign D9A. The QSL manager is
DS4EOI.
Peter, EI7CC is returning to Lesotho for a short holiday from 18 to
30 August and will be active again as 7P8PB. He hopes to upload his
logs to Logbook of the World on a daily basis.
DH2AK and DL1THM will be active as PJ2/DH2AK and PJ2/DL1THM from the
island of Curacao from 21 August to 8 September. They will be using
an IC-7000 and Buddipole and operating holiday style.
Now the contest news
The Brazilian CVADX Contest CW leg takes place this weekend, 20 and
21 August, from 2100 to 2100UTC. There are lots of different
categories and most points to be gained by working Brazilian
stations. The SSB leg takes place next weekend, 28 and 29 August.
Full rules are online at
www.craec.info/2010/images/docs_pdf/cvarules.pdf.
23 August sees the 50MHz UKAC taking place between 1900 and 2130UTC.
Using all modes on the band, the exchange is signal report, serial
number and locator.
Also on 23 August, the SHF UK Activity Contest takes place at the
same time, 1900 to 2130UTC, on the 2.3 to 10GHz bands. Using all
modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
The 80m Club Sprint takes place on 25 August between 1900 and 2030.
It's the SSB leg and the exchange is both callsigns, serial number
and name.
The IRTS 2m Counties Contest takes place on 28 August from 1300 to
1500 using both FM and SSB. For stations outside EI/GI, work EIs and
GIs only, giving them a signal report and serial number. In return
you can expect to receive a signal report, serial number and County.
There are awards for the highest placed entrant in each section
‘outside of EI'. This often results in them going to GI, but not
always – indeed, some sections often have no entries from outside
EI. For a list of the 32 Irish counties, see EI8IC's website at
www.mapability.com/ei8ic/contest/eicounty.php.
And now the solar factual data for the period from the 8th to the
14th of August, compiled by Neil Clarke, G0CAS on the 15th of August.
Right at the start of the period two of the three large active
regions had rotated out of view, but before the last group
disappeared it produced the largest solar flare so far this cycle.
This flare was rated as an X6/2B, which took place on the 9th, taking
solar activity to high levels. Before this, on the 8th, activity was
moderate when a M3 flare occurred from the same region. By the 14th
the visible solar disc was spotless. This is only the second day with
a spotless Sun so far this year; the other was the 27th of January.
Solar activity was very low from the 12th. Solar flux levels
reflected this by declining from 102 units on the 8th to 83 by the
12th and the 13th. The average was 90 units. The 90 day solar flux
average on the 14th remained at the same level as the previous week,
at 96 units. X-ray flux levels declined from B4.3 units on the 9th to
A8.2 by the 13th. The average was B1.8 units. Geomagnetic activity
was quiet every day, except for the 8th, which was slightly unsettled
with an Ap index of 10 units. Due to the location of the X6 solar
flare to the solar limb the ejected material associated with the
coronal mass ejection was directed away from Earth and did not cause
any magnetic disturbance. The average was Ap 7 units. Solar wind data
from the ACE spacecraft saw solar wind speeds decline from 650
kilometres per second on the 9th to 300 by the 13th. Speeds then
increased to around 500 kilometres per second during the 14th.
Particle densities were low every day except for late on the 13th and
early on the 14th when they increased to 20 particles per cubic
centimetre. Bz varied no more than minus and plus 4 nanoTeslas except
for the 14th which varied between minus 6 and plus 10 nanoTeslas.
And now the solar forecast. The first of the three large sunspot
groups that generated all the solar flare activity on their last
rotation are expected to return. The first should already be in view,
however, this was the least active of the three. The other two more
active groups are expected on the 21st and the 24th. The level of
solar activity will depend on how active these regions are. There is
a reasonable chance that activity could increase to moderate levels
on some days. Close observations of the STEREO behind images will
give a clue of their solar flare potential several days before they
rotate into view. Solar flux levels are expected to be around the 110
mark but levels could be lower if the returning regions are not
active. Geomagnetic activity could be unsettled today due to a
coronal hole and again around Friday and Saturday due to another
coronal hole. In both instances only a mild disturbance is expected.
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 11MHz. Paths to South America should have a maximum usable
frequency with a 50 per cent success rate of about 27MHz. The optimum
working frequency with a 90 per cent success rate will be around
22MHz. The best time to try this path will be between 1400 and 2100
hours UTC. We are now approaching the end of this summer's Sporadic-E
season, but, saying that, opening are still expected, but not every
day and probably not 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.
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