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G4APL > NEWS 15.09.19 04:34l 270 Lines 12718 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 15 Sep 2019
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Sent: 190915/0231Z @:GB7CIP.#32.GBR.EURO #:21638 [Caterham Surrey GBR]
From: G4APL@GB7CIP.#32.GBR.EURO
To : NEWS@EU
GB2RS Main News for Sunday 15th September 2019
The news headlines:
* Larry E Price, W4RA, SK
* Bulgarians get digital segment on 6m
* RSGB NRC aerial improvements
It with great sadness that IARU reports that ARRL and IARU President
Emeritus Larry E Price, W4RA, died on the 10th of September. He was
85. The IARU owes a debt of gratitude to Larry for his tireless work
over the decades to represent the interests of amateur radio in
regulatory forums. Larry was first licensed as WN5TIA at age 16. He
served four two-year terms as ARRL President, serving simultaneously
as Secretary of the International Amateur Radio Union in 1989-1992
and continuing as IARU Secretary and ARRL International Affairs Vice
President until his election as IARU President in 1999. He served as
IARU president for two five-year terms, retiring and being named IARU
President Emeritus by the IARU Administrative Council in 2009. The
ARRL Board named him ARRL President Emeritus in 2011. The amateur
radio community expresses its deep-felt sympathy to Larry's family at
this sad time.
Bulgarian radio amateurs have obtained temporary access to the
digital portion of the 50MHz band, 50.310 to 50.335MHz. Previously
their allocation was restricted to just 50.05 to 50.2MHz, which
excluded digital usage such as FT8. A key objective to WRC-19 is to
extend 50MHz access to all countries across Region 1.
The RSGB National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park has successfully
completed the realignment of the SteppIR beam this week. The Yaesu
rotator is now back in action and the SteppIR beam can be rotated.
The D-Star Repeater GB7BP is also now back online and operational.
Don't forget RSGB Members can download a free entry voucher for
Bletchley Park and take your licence with you for the opportunity to
operate GB3RS whilst you are there. See
www.rsgb.org/bletchley-park-voucher for details.
The RSGB Convention takes place in Milton Keynes from the 11th to the
13th of October. The provisional programme of lectures and workshops
is now online at www.rsgb.org/convention. In the talk I can HEAR it,
why won't it decode? Neil Smith, G4DBN will discuss how do you choose
the best digital mode for tropospheric DX at VHF and above? He will
investigate the effects of multipath, scintillation, scatter modes
and radio characteristics on signal coherence and decodability. Full
details of tickets, weekend packages and the Buildathon can be found
at www.rsgb.org/convention.
Three more RSGB 2018 Convention videos have been released to the RSGB
YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/theRSGB. John Warburton, G4IRN
talks about An HF DXpedition to the Andaman Islands; Bo Hansen, OZ2M
looks at Arduino, GPS, RF and Si5351A for radio amateurs and Chris
Tran, GM3WOJ looks at Transmit/Receive switching times and why they
matter.
GB7HZ, in Strabane, Northern Ireland is a multi-mode digital repeater
and is now active on DMR, D-Star and Yaesu Fusion. Reports are
welcome to the Keeper, Michael Conaghan, MI0HOZ.
The next edition of RadCom Basics will be available at the end of
September. This edition will look at RSGB Awards, in particular for
the Foundation licence, moving up - Intermediate and Advanced
licences, using digital repeaters, and how and why the HF bands come
alive in the autumn. RSGB Members can read previous editions of
RadCom Basics by going to www.rsgb.org/radcom-basics. You can
register to receive notification of subsequent issues as they become
available; they will appear at the same internet address. Each
edition of RadCom Basics explores key aspects of amateur radio in a
straightforward way. RadCom Basics is sent as an email alert to
subscribers when each edition is published. This email provides a
list of contents and a link to the articles on the RSGB website.
And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week
Today, the 15th, the West Tyrone ARC Rally will be held at Omagh
Rugby Club, 7 Mellon Park Drive, Omagh BT78 5NE. Doors open at 11am
and admittance is GBP 3. There will be a talk in station, trade
stands, special interest groups, a Bring & Buy and an RSGB bookstall.
Catering and a licensed bar are available on site. A prize draw will
take place. More information from Philip, MI0MSO on 0784 902 5760.
Next Sunday, the 22nd, the Weston-Super-Mare Radio Rally will be held
at The Campus, Highlands Lane, Weston super Mare BS24 7DX. Doors open
10am to 3pm and entry is GBP 3. There will be trade stands and a
Bring & Buy stall, plus excellent catering and a large car park.
Enquiries to Dave Dyer on 0787 103 4206.
Next Sunday, the 22nd, the Belgium Amateur Radio & Computer Rally
takes place at Louvexpo, La Louviere, Belgium. Open from 9am to 4pm,
talk-in is on the local FM, DMR & D-Star repeaters. There will be
trade stands from UK, Holland, Germany and France, flea market.
Details are at www.on6ll.be.
Please send details of your 2020 rally and event plans as soon as
possible to radcom<at>rsgb.org.uk.
And now the DX news from 425 DX News and other sources
The Latvian team on Nauru between the 16th to 25th September will be
signing C21WW instead of C21W.
Tina, HB0/DL5YL and Fred, HB0/DL5YM will be active from Masescha,
Liechtenstein from the 20th of September to the 5th of October. They
will operate CW, plus RTTY during the CQ WW DX RTTY Contest and maybe
some SSB on the 160 to 6m bands. QSL via their home calls, direct or
bureau.
Giuseppe, IK5WWA will be active as IM0DAE from San Pietro Island,
EU-165, between the 16th and the 28th of September. He will be on the
HF bands as well as 6m, 2m and 70cm. QSL via IK5WWA, direct or bureau.
Harry, JG7PSJ will be active holiday style as WH0RU from Saipan,
OC-086, between the 15th and the 22nd of September. He will operate
CW, SSB and RTTY on the 40 to 10m bands. QSL via Logbook of The
World, or direct to JG7PSJ.
Chip, KB1QU will be QRV as 9G5QU from Ghana from until the 21st of
September. He will be on 40, 30 and 20m on CW and digital. QSL
manager is N4GNR.
Now the special event news
Thames Amateur Radio Club will operate GB2MFM today, the 15th, to
raise awareness of military sites, particularly in Essex and Kent.
GB2MFM will be at a WW2 pill box at Wat Tyler Country Park, near
Basildon.
This month marks the centenary of radio in the Cambridge area. As
well as a celebration day to be held on the 29th of September at
Foxton, to which all local amateurs are invited, local clubs have
activated the callsign GB1CAM and will be operating it throughout
September. Further details are at cdarc.org.uk.
OL75CARBON commemorates the 75th anniversary of the dropping the
CARBON paratroops in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia during
the WWII, known as Operation Carbon. It will be on the air until the
30th of November. For more information visit QRZ.com.
In memory of those lost in Operation Market Garden, the South Dorset
Radio Society will be operating from the war-time glider base at
Tarrant Rushton near Blandford in Dorset. They will be on the air
from Tuesday the 17th until Friday the 20th of September, using the
callsign GB0MKT.
Southgate ARC will be taking part in Railways on the Air on the 21st
and 22nd of September from the Hoddesdon Model & Railway Club at
Broxborne Meadows with the callsign GB4HMR. Volunteers, operators and
anyone interested are more than welcome to come along.
Please send special event details to radcom<at>rsgb.org.uk as early
as possible so we can give you free publicity. It is a licensing
condition that stations using a UK special event callsign must be
open to the public.
Now the contest news
It's a very busy time for contests this weekend. The WAE DX SSB
contest runs for 48 hours this weekend ending at 2359UTC today, the
15th. Using the 3.5 to 28MHz contest bands, the exchange is signal
report and serial number. EU stations only work non EU stations.
The UK Microwave Group contest runs from 0900 to 1700UTC today, the
15th, on the 24 to 76GHz bands. Using all modes, the exchange is
signal report, serial number and locator.
The IRTS 70cm Counties Contest runs from 1300 to 1330UTC today, the
15th. It is immediately followed by the IRTS 2m Counties Contest from
1330UTC to 1500UTC. Both contests use SSB and FM and the exchange is
signal report and serial number, with EI and GI stations also giving
their county.
The BARTG Sprint 75 contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC today, the
15th, on the 3.5 to 28MHz contest bands. Using RTTY only, the
exchange is just your serial number.
Finally for today, the 15th, the 70MHz AFS contest runs from 0900 to
1200UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial
number and locator.
On Tuesday the 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest takes place from 1900 to
2130UTC. Using all modes on the 1.3GHz band, the exchange is signal
report, serial number and locator.
On Wednesday the 80m Autumn Series contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC.
Using CW only, the exchange is signal report and serial number.
On Thursday the 70MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTc.
Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and
locator.
On Sunday, the Practical Wireless 70MHz contest runs from 1200 to
1600UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial
number and locator.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA & G4BAO on
Friday the 13th of September.
It was a quiet week, geomagnetically speaking, with the Kp index
generally not rising above two. But a lack of sunspots didn't help HF
propagation, which was decidedly uninspiring. There were some
highlights though, mostly on FT8. Columbia was decoded on Wednesday
evening on 15 metres at a time when CW and SSB users might have
thought the band was dead. FT8's ability to dig out signals that are
below the noise level is saving the day in terms of DX being workable.
On a brighter note, in a new paper, scientists predict that the
current solar cycle 24 will end in the first half of 2020, kicking
off the growth of solar cycle 25 very shortly after. The paper, from
the US National Center for Atmospheric Research, is based on a new
theory that tsunamis of plasma race through the Sun's interior and
trigger the birth of the next sunspot cycle.
Meanwhile NOAA predicts that next week the solar flux index will
remain low with an estimate of 68-70. A total lack of Earth-facing
coronal holes is good news, with the Kp index remaining at around two.
Finally, we are starting to see the gradual change to autumnal HF
conditions, which will bring better DX working over the next couple
of months. The Propquest site shows that the maximum usable frequency
is now hitting more than 18MHz over a 3,000km path at times, so 17m
is becoming quite usable as we exit the summer doldrums. It is also
still showing an uplift in the critical frequency after dark on most
days, which could bring some DX surprises.
And now the VHF and up propagation news.
The coming week will suit VHFers who like to rise early, so set those
alarms to get the best DX opportunities. The week will start with
high pressure over the country and, except for a brief period when
low pressure moves across the far north of Britain this Saturday, the
14th, it's pretty much a Tropo story all the way. When there is still
summer warmth around, it's worth noting that the strong lift
conditions in the early morning usually fade as the temperature
rises. So it's really an early bird that catches the worm for Tropo!
Last Friday saw Moon apogee, when it is at its furthest point from
Earth, and Moon declination goes positive today, so EME conditions
will improve as the week progresses. The Moon will rise higher in the
sky at zenith and will be above 50 degrees elevation in Southern
England in the early hours of Thursday. Sky noise on 144MHz starts
the week at a low of around 250 kelvin, and path losses will fall.
There are no major meteor showers this week, but the September
epsilon-Perseids minor shower, though past its peak, continues to be
active until around the 21st September. Check the early hours before
dawn for the best random meteors.
And that's all from the propagation team this week.
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 radcom<at>rsgb.org.uk to arrive by
10:00 on the Thursday before transmission.
Our thanks to Andy G4TNU for providing this RSGB feed.
--
g4apl@gb7cip.ampr.org g4apl@gb7cip.#32.gbr.euro
http://www.theskywaves.net http://gb7cip.ampr.org
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