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G4TNU > NEWS 04.03.12 03:04l 217 Lines 10909 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 04 Mar 2012
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday 4th March 2012
The news headlines:
* Senegal to gain access to the 6m band
* New Planning Advisory Committee Chairman
* Notice of Variations available
Following an application to the Regulatory Agency, Senegal has gained
access to the 6m band. 50 to 51MHz has been officially allocated to
that nation's amateur service on a Primary basis. This allocation
becomes effective when the new ITU Radio Regulations come into force.
Any contacts made on 6m before that date have to be considered as
unauthorised.
As already announced in RadCom, Len Paget, GM0ONX has asked to stand
down from Chairmanship of the Planning Advisory Committee to allow
him to concentrate on his Regional role. The Society is grateful to
Len for his contribution in the planning role over a number of years.
Len will be succeeded by Stephen Purser, G4SHF, who takes up his role
with immediate effect. We welcome Stephen back to the PAC and wish
him success in the role. He can be contacted by email to
PAC.Chairman<at>RSGB.org.uk.
You can now obtain your Notice of Variation to allow you to use the
special prefixes for Queen's Diamond Jubilee and London 2012 Olympic
and Paralympic Games. After completing the simple web forms, your NoV
will be immediately e-mailed back to you in PDF format. The Queen's
Diamond Jubilee NoV applies from 0000BST on 5 May 2012 to 2359BST on
10 June 2012 inclusive. The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games
NoV applies from 0000BST on 21 July 2012 to 2359BST on 9 September
2012 inclusive. Fill in the forms on the RSGB website, www.rsgb.org.
Notices of Variation to amateur radio licences for special research
permits to operate in the band 501 to 504kHz have been extended to 31
December 2012. They had been due to expire on 29 February 2012. Ofcom
has started discussions with the Radio Society of Great Britain about
the timescales for implementing the new secondary allocation to the
amateur service, between 472 and 479kHz, that WRC-12 agreed would be
effective from 1 January 2013.
The International Museums Weekend special event will this year take
place on the weekends of 16 & 17 June and 23 & 24 June. Radio
amateurs are encouraged to participate in this event by setting up
stations in their local museums. Organiser Harry, M1BYT asks that all
those intending to take part in the event should register at
www.ukradioamateur.co.uk/imw.
And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week
We start with advance notice of a change to a rally date. The East
Suffolk Wireless Revival will now take place on 1 July. Contact
Steve, M1ACB on 07711 329624.
The Cambridge & District Amateur Radio Club Rally takes place today,
4 March, at the Wood Green Animal Shelter, King's Bush Farm, on the
A1198 London Road at Godmanchester PE29 2NH. Doors open at 10am and
entry is GBP 3. There will be trade stands and a Bring & Buy with
talk in on S22. Contact John, G0GKP, on 01954 200 072.
Also today, 4 March, the Exeter Radio & Electronics Rally takes place
in America Hall, De La Rue Way, Pinhoe, Exeter EX4 8PW. Doors open at
10.30am and admission is GBP 2. There will be trade stands and a
Bring & Buy. More information from Pete, G3ZVI on 07714 198 374.
The Wythall Radio Club Radio and Computer Rally takes place on 11
March at the Woodrush Sports Centre, Shawhurst Lane, Hollywood, near
Birmingham B47 5JW. The venue is on the A435, 2 miles from J3 of the
M42. There will be trade stands and a Bring & Buy with admission
costing GBP 2.50.Contact Chris, G0EYO on 07710 412 819.
Now for the news of special events
The Irish national society, IRTS, is celebrating its 80th anniversary
with a special event callsign, EI80IRTS. IRTS members and affiliated
clubs are taking part in the celebrations. A certificate for working
EI80IRTS is sponsored by Dundalk Amateur Radio Society. Details are
online at www.ei7dar.com/ei80irts.html.
And now the HF DX news compiled from 425 DX News and other sources
IK2GZU, will sign 5H3MB from Tanzania from 4 March to 4 April while
he is there doing work at the new hospital and orphanage. He will do
some HF operating with his own FT-100 rig and the TS-850 that belongs
to the Mission. There is a tribander fixed on Europe, a vertical and
a dipole. He will put the log on LoTW when he's back home. QSL via
IK2GZU.
Nine operators from Germany and Poland will sign A35YZ from Tonga
from 7 to 24 March. They will be on all bands and modes with several
stations, including one dedicated to digital. QSL direct or bureau to
DL7DF. Tonga is usually a tough one from the UK, being almost
directly over the pole.
David, VO1AU will be active as ZL7/VO1AU from the Chatham Islands,
which is IOTA reference OC-038, between 8 and 13 March. Activity will
be on CW and SSB. He will also participate in the Commonwealth
Contest. QSL via VO1MX.
DL7AFS will sign V21FS and DJ7ZG will sign V21ZG from Antigua from 5
March for a few weeks. They will focus on 15, 12 and 10m. QSL to
DL7AFS or via the DARC QSL bureau.
A Polish team will activate Sint Maarten as PJ7PT from 5 to 18 March.
They will be on all bands, CW, SSB and RTTY. QSL via SP9PT.
JI3DST will be on the air signing portable 9M2 from West Malaysia
between 0000UTC on 10 March and 0900UTC on 11 March. His activity
will be on 6 through to 80m, including most of the WARC bands. Modes
to be used will include CW, SSB and FM. QSL via JI3DST.
Now the contest news
The 144/432MHz Contest takes place for 24 hours this weekend, ending
at 1400UTC today, 4 March. There are Open and Single-op categories
and 6-hour and 24-hour sections, with 6-hour entrants being able to
split their operating into two sessions if they wish. Using all modes
the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
The ARRL International DX contest runs for the full 48 hours of this
weekend ending at 2359 today, 4 March, on the 1.8 to 28MHz bands.
Work US stations in the contiguous 48 States, plus Canadians. Send a
signal report and your transmit output power. There are sections for
QRP as well as low and high power. US stations send a signal report
and 2-letter State abbreviation, while Canadian stations send a
signal report and 3-letter Province code.
Monday 5 March sees the data leg of the 80m Club Championships taking
place from 2000 to 2130UTC. The exchange is signal report and serial
number.
Tuesday 6 March is the 144MHz UK Activity Contest from 2000 to
2230UTC. Using all modes the exchange is signal report, serial number
and locator.
Next weekend, on 11 March, the 2nd 70MHz Cumulative contest take
place from 1000 to 1200UTC. Using all modes the exchange is signal
report, serial number and locator.
On 10 and 11 March, the 75th Commonwealth Contest will take place
from 1000 to 1000UTC. To celebrate it there is going to be a prize
draw into which every entrant making more than 75 valid QSOs will be
entered. The prize will be an RFSpace SDR-IQ Software Defined Radio,
generously donated by Martin Lynch of ML&S. All entrants who have,
after adjudication, 75 or more valid QSOs will automatically be
entered for the draw, so entrants need do nothing more than submit
their log – but please make sure you make more than 75 QSOs, to
leave some margin in case any of your QSOs are disallowed. Using CW
on the 3.5 to 28MHz bands, the exchange is signal report and serial
number.
And now the solar factual data for the period from Friday the 24th of
February to the 1st of March, compiled by Neil Clarke, G0CAS on
Friday the 2nd of March.
Only a small number of sunspot groups were visible every day. All
were small and quiet. Solar activity was very low every day, except
for the 26th when activity increased to low when two small C class
solar flares took place, and again on the 1st. Solar flux levels
declined from 109 units on the 24th to 102 by the 29th. The average
was 105 units. The 90 day solar flux average on the on the 1st was
127, that's three units down on last week. X-ray flux levels declined
slightly over the period and averaged B2 units. Geomagnetic activity
started at quiet levels but on the 27th and the 28th activity
increased due to the arrival of a coronal mass ejection. The most
disturbed day was the 27th, with an Ap index of 19 units. Activity
then increased again on the 1st with an Ap of 15 units. The average
was Ap 9 units. Solar wind data from the ACE spacecraft saw solar
wind speeds increase from 370 kilometres per second to 520 by the
26th. Particle densities were low, except for a brief increase to 21
particles per cubic centimetre early on the 27th. Bz varied between
minus 5 and plus 6 nanoTeslas on the quiet days and between minus and
plus 11 nanoTeslas during the disturbance. On most days MUFs reached
or even slightly exceeded forecast levels, with the exception of the
27th, when MUFs were depressed by several MHz. Auroral propagation
was reported on 50, 70 and 144MHz. While high latitude stations were,
as usual, the main beneficiaries, at the height of the disturbance,
around 1700 hours, contacts were made as far south as the Midlands. A
weaker event also occurred during the evening of the 1st.
And finally the solar forecast. There as been a dramatic decline in
solar activity since the start of the year and in solar flux levels.
This is well illustrated in the 90 day solar flux averages that have
declined almost 20 units since the start of the year. There are no
real signs that activity will increase during the coming week. As
always though, when solar activity increases it will happen with very
little warning. Therefore, solar flux levels are expected to be
around the 100 mark or slightly higher. Geomagnetic activity should
be at ‘unsettled' levels for the next couple of days due to a small
recurring coronal hole and then decline to quiet levels for the
remainder of the period. MUFs during daylight hours at equal
latitudes should be around 28MHz for the south and 25MHz for the
north. Darkness hour lows should be about 8MHz. Paths this week to
South Africa should have a maximum usable frequency with a 50 per
cent success rate of about 35MHz. The optimum working frequency with
a 90 per cent success rate will be around 28MHz. The best time to try
this path will be between 1000 and 1500 hours. With this path
crossing the equator it should not be affected by the coronal hole
disturbance.
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 Thursday before transmission.
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