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G4TNU > NEWS 02.08.20 01:34l 209 Lines 9961 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 02 Aug 2020
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday the 2nd of August 2020
The news headlines:
* Intermediate Exam practical assessment abolished
* RSGB creates Facebook group for new licensees
* Australia increases amateur licence flexibility
The Examination Standards Committee is pleased to announce the latest
syllabus revision for the amateur radio licence examinations.
Following the valuable feedback from the tutor community, certain
points have been clarified. There are no new learning points with
this revision, version 1.4, but one very significant change is that
the Intermediate practical assessment is to be discontinued with
immediate effect. Some of the feedback has indicated a further
syllabus revision that will involve new learning points. Further
consultations will commence regarding this in the autumn with an
expected publication date of January 2021, and the content examinable
from July 2021. All the documents are on the Society's website at
www.rsgb.org/syllabus2019
As part of its continuing Get on the air to care initiative, the RSGB
has created a Facebook group to support new Foundation licensees who
have taken their exam this year via remote invigilation, plus those
returning to amateur radio after a number of years. For details on
how to join the group, see www.rsgb.org/beyond-exams.
The Australian comms regulator ACMA has announced a series of changes
to give Australian amateurs more options and flexibility. Digital
modes and shorter three-letter callsigns will now be available to
Australian Foundation Licensees. In addition, regional identifiers
that indicate which State any amateur is located no longer need be
changed when travelling across the country. Further details are
available from the Wireless Institute of Australia at
https://tinyurl.com/gb2rs-au.
To commemorate the 75th anniversary of VJ Day, the RSGB has organised
a VJ Day amateur radio marathon on the HF bands and 6m using SSB, CW
and digital modes. Three special UK callsigns GB75PEACE, GB1945PE,
GB1945PJ will be on the air from the 1st to the 31st of August. The
special stations have their own QRZ.com pages with details of the
activation schedule. If you wish to participate and transmit using a
VJ Day radio marathon callsign, contact Ian, G0FCT via email to
csc.chair<at>rsgb.org.uk. Full details of the radio marathon and the
five awards are on the Society's radio marathon web page,
www.rsgb.org/ve-vj-marathon.
Around 80 papers are now available online for the IARU Region 1
Virtual General Conference that will be held in October. Several
inputs on a variety of topics are by a team of RSGB volunteers,
covering HF-UHF Modernisation, support for innovation and the WRC-23
challenge in the 23cm band. The RSGB band plans may also be updated
to take account of the outcome in January 2021. Full information can
be found at
https://rsgb.org/main/rsgb-consultations/iaru-consultations.
A Facebook group promoting Special Event Stations within the UK now
has over 1000 members. Any radio amateur or SWL with an interest in
organising, operating or working special event stations is welcome.
The group is run by Mark, G1PIE, Martyn, MM0XXW and Pam, 2E1HQY. See
www.facebook.com/groups/SESUk.
Milton Keynes ARS tells us that their training team has been part of
the remote invigilating of exams. Over 300 candidates have been
invigilated by Francis, M0UKF and Nigel, M0NYG since the online
scheme started in April. The club thanks them for their efforts.
Francis is taking a well-earned break to focus on other projects.
The objective of the AMSAT-UK OSCAR Satellite QSO Party is to
encourage all radio amateurs to make contacts via satellites during
northern hemisphere summer. The event runs until 2359UTC on the 22nd
of September. Prizes will be awarded to the leading entries. Full
details are at https://amsat-uk.org.
Now the special event news
Since the change of regulations applying to special event stations in
the UK, many activations are now able to go ahead. UK amateurs would
like to thank Ofcom for their help in making this happen.
August sees two GB80 Special Event Stations on the air to mark the
critical role that radar played in the Battle of Britain 80 years
ago. GB80BRS will be operated to commemorate Bawdsey Radar Station in
Suffolk, which was where radar was developed in the late 1930s and
was the location of the world's first operational radar station.
Activity will be on 80m to 10m bands using SSB, CW and FT8. GB80CH
will be operated from Chelmsford in Essex, which has the most
complete surviving radar tower from the Battle of Britain. The BAE
Systems Great Baddow Amateur Radio, club with amateur colleagues in
local clubs, will be operating across the HF and 6m bands.
And now the DX news
Tony, OH1TD is active again from his summer QTH on Korpo Island, IOTA
reference EU-096, until September. QSL via his home callsign, either
direct or via the bureau.
Mike, XW2DX is currently active as XW2DX from Vientiane and will be
staying in Laos for the next few years. He is allowed to operate on
the 20, 15 and 10m bands. QSL via RM0L.
Now the contest news
Please remember to check before the events for new rules due to
lockdown and social distancing, which may differ around the world.
The RSGB strongly advises obeying your own government's advice first
and foremost.
Today, the 2nd, the 432MHz Low Power Contest is single operator only
from 0800 to 1200UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report,
serial number, locator and first two letters of your postcode.
On Tuesday the 144MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855UTC.
It is followed by the 144MHz UK Activity Contest from 1900 to
2130UTC. The exchange for both is signal report, serial number and
locator.
Next weekend is the WAE DX CW contest from 0000UTC on the 8th to
2359UTC on the 9th. Using the 3.5 to 28MHz contest bands, European
stations work non-Europeans only. The exchange is signal report and
serial number.
Next Sunday, the 9th, it's the 5th 70MHz Cumulative contest from 1400
to 1600UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial
number and locator.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO
on Friday the 31st of July.
The Sun showed signs of coming back to life this week with not one
but two sunspot groups. The sunspot number climbed to 22,
representing two spots in two separate groups, and the solar flux
index rose to 73. This wasn't really enough to make much of a
difference to HF propagation though, but it is a step in the right
direction. The Kp index was pegged pretty much at one or two due to a
lack of coronal hole activity.
Propagation-wise, we continued to have a good run of Sporadic-E, with
openings to the USA and Canada on 10m SSB and FT8, and China was
reported on SSB in last weekend's IOTA contest. Even Nand, VU2NKS in
India has been reported in the UK via 10m FT8. Next week NOAA
predicts that the solar flux index will decline from 72 down to 68 as
the two sunspots rotate out of view. The Kp index should remain low
all week as well due to a lack of coronal hole activity. Propagation
will remain at seasonal lows as we enter August, with daytime F2
maximum usable frequencies grazing 17-18MHz, with Sporadic-E bringing
openings up to 30MHz and beyond. Night-time maximum usable
frequencies are likely to exceed 10MHz over 3,000km paths, but keep
an eye on Propquest.co.uk for the odd surprise. We can't really
expect F2 layer openings to improve until September, so make the most
of the Sporadic-E openings for now.
And now the VHF and up propagation news.
The next week or so looks to be a mix of brief spells when high
pressure might present us with some Tropo, as seen just recently at
the end of the last week, due to a temporary high over the near
continent. The longer-range part of the forecast also picks up
another high at the end of the coming week, although for both these
highs, the main areas of enhanced Tropo are for central and southern
Britain across the Channel and North Sea into the continent and
Baltic region.
The period in between the two high-pressure ‘bookends' is occupied
by low-pressure systems with fronts and showery troughs adding a good
chance of rain scatter again on the GHz bands. The summer months are
particularly good for strong thundery shower-cloud development with
plenty of high-intensity rainfall or hail.
Sporadic-E has performed fairly well in the last week, particularly
for FT8, but with a smattering of more traditional modes. The
general advice still holds – check the bands mid-morning, late
afternoon and early evening for signs of Sporadic-E. It's never too
late for Sporadic-E until maybe the end of the first week in
September, so it's still well worth a look.
The Moon is at minimum declination today so there will be very low
peak Moon elevations and short visibility windows early in the week.
This means that, despite 144MHz sky noise being low, the man-made
noise from the horizon will be in the main beam of all but the
largest antennas.
There are no significant meteor showers this week.
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.
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