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G4TNU > NEWS 18.10.20 00:32l 224 Lines 10900 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 18 Oct 2020
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday the 18th of October 2020
The news headlines:
* Behind the scenes of RSGB Convention
* Bath Distance Learning places available
* 146MHz experiment to continue
The RSGB Online Convention took place last week and was a huge
success, with top-notch talks by many of the world's leading
amateurs. The two simultaneous live lecture streams were viewed by
people in 24 countries. Over the coming weeks the RSGB will release
the individual presentations via its YouTube channel, so you can
catch up on any you missed. In the meantime you can see a video that
shows just how much work the technical team were doing in the
background to make the streams go smoothly. That video is at
www.rsgb.org/convention and you can find all of the RSGB YouTube
videos via www.youtube.com/theRSGB.
We recently announced that the Bath Distance Learning Team was
resuming its work. There are still a very few places available on the
Intermediate course that will run from November this year to March
2021. To open availability as widely as possible the deadline for
applications has been extended until this Friday, the 23rd of
October. Students receive weekly work packages via a virtual
classroom and have access to weekly tutorials and revision quizzes.
They also have a remote tutor who provides feedback and additional
guidance when required. The course is free, though a refundable
GBP 30 deposit is required to secure a place. For full details, and
an application form, contact the team leader Steve, G0FUW, via email
to g0fuw<at>tiscali.co.uk. This is a great opportunity for Foundation
holders to upgrade their knowledge and licence.
All Notices of Variation for the temporary 146 to 147MHz band expire
on the 31st of October. Ofcom have agreed to make the frequencies
available for a further year. To take advantage of this band, you
will need to apply online for a new Notice of Variation even if you
have held one before. Go to www.rsgb.org/nov and select the 146 and
147MHz NoV link. The NoV is issued free and is available to all UK
Full licence holders. As a reminder, the band is intended for
technical and experimental work. It should not be used for modes or
operations that normally take place in the 144 to 146MHz band.
The IARU Region 1 Virtual General Conference concluded on Friday. The
plenary saw numerous recommendations across a wide range of General,
HF, VHF, UHF, microwave and EMC matters, including Youth and Spectrum
issues. The RSGB was a leading contributor and was pleased at the
success of its proposals. Barry Lewis, G4SJH was elected as the new
Chair for IARU Region 1 Spectrum Affairs, succeeding David Court,
EI3IO. Overall, the online format enabled a great team effort across
all our volunteers. A fuller report will be available in due course
via the IARU Region 1 website.
The British Amateur Television Club is holding its virtual Convention
next Saturday, the 24th of October. Known as CAT 20, proceedings
start at 10am and will incorporate a series of talks. These will
include details of the hugely popular BATC Portsdown digital ATV
transmitter and its accompanying receiver, the Ryde. Whether you are
a beginner or seasoned ATVer there will be something for everyone in
this fascinating exciting part of the hobby. You can watch the action
free via the live stream at https://batc.org.uk/live/cat20
The UNESCO International Day of Persons with Disabilities takes place
on the 3rd of December. If you are planning any amateur radio
activity in support of the Day, IARU would like to hear from you so
they can publish details on the IARU Region 1 website. The
co-ordinator is Thomas, HB9FXU and further information will appear at
www.iaru-r1.org/about-us/committees-and-working-groups/ipha/
The RSGB will once again be participating in the annual YOTA Month
activities in December. Normally we would encourage large youth
groups, schools, Scouting associations and amateur radio clubs to
participate. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we will not be
encouraging large group events. We do hope that smaller groups will
be able to participate in the event, whilst remaining within national
and local guidelines. GB20YOTA will be available for Full licence
holders to book an appointment slot within a set calendar. This
calendar will be available on the GB20YOTA QRZ.com page for you to
choose when you want to operate. All operations should be focused
with the intention to get young people on the air. To register your
interest or to reserve an operating slot contact Jamie, M0SDV, via
email to yota.month<at>rsgb.org.uk.
Now the special event news
Marking the design project for the next 50 years for the United Arab
Emirates, members of the Emirates Amateur Radio Society will activate
the special callsigns A6050Y from their club station in Sharjah and
A6050Y/1-9 from nine different members' stations until the end of
October.
Now the DX news
John, W2GD will be active as P40W from Aruba Island, IOTA SA-036,
from the 20th to the 27th of October. He will operate on 160 to 10m,
including activity in CQ WW DX SSB Contest. QSL via N2MM direct, or
Logbook of The World.
Jeff, VP9/N1SNB will be active from Bermuda, NA-005, from the 21st to
the 26th of October. He will operate on HF and take part in the CQ WW
DX SSB Contest, in the Single Operator All Band Low Power Category.
QSL via his home call.
Wolf, DM2AUJ, Guenter, DL2AWG, Peter, DL3APO, Rainer, DL2AMD, Werner,
DJ9KH and Franz, DL9GFB are QRV as Z66DX until the 28th of October.
Activity will be with three stations active on the 160 to 10m bands
using CW, SSB and FT8. QSL via DL2AWG.
Philippe, F1DUZ is active from Guadeloupe as FG4KH from the shack
of FG5FI until the 5th of November. QSL via home call.
Now the contest news
Please remember to check before the contest for new rules due to
lockdown and social distancing, which may differ around the world.
The RSGB strongly advises obeying your own national and local
government's advice first and foremost, especially in the instance of
local lockdowns.
The Worked all Germany contest ends its 24-hour run at 1500UTC today,
Sunday. Using CW and SSB on the 3.5 to 28MHz contest bands, the
exchange is signal report and serial number, with German stations
sending DOK.
The 50MHz AFS contest runs from 0900 to 1300UTC today. Using all
modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
Also today, the second RoLo contest runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. This
is CW only on the 80m band and the exchange is signal report and a
rolling locator.
Today also sees the UK Microwave group's 24-76GHz contest runs from
0900 to 1700UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report,
serial number and locator.
Monday sees the RSGB FT4 series continue. Running from 1900 to
2030UTC on the 80m band in FT4 mode only, the exchange is your
locator, using NA VHF Contest format.
On Tuesday the 1.3GHz UKAC takes place from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using
all modes on the 23cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial
number and locator.
Next weekend it's the CQWW DX SSB contest. Running from 0000UTC on
the 24th to 2359 on the 25th, it's SSB-only on the 1.8 to 28MHz
contest bands. The exchange is signal report and Zone, which is 14
for the UK.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO
on Friday the 16th of October.
We had a little flurry of solar activity last week, but it didn't
amount to much. Region 2775 decayed to a spotless plage and didn't
contribute at all after Tuesday the 13th. A new region began forming
while on the far side of the Sun and has turned into view off the
east limb. The new region has been assigned active region 2776 and,
while a few spots are currently visible, so far only minor B-class
solar flares have been detected.
Geomagnetic conditions were quiet, with the Kp index fluctuating
between zero and one. This was due to a lack of coronal hole
activity, which meant the solar wind was subdued, generally keeping
below 300km/s. As a result, HF conditions have been quite good, with
lots of DX being reported by CDXC members. Patrice, FK8HA in New
Caledonia has been reported on 15m SSB, as has Mike, 5H3EE in
Tanzania on 15m CW.
October can also be a good month for 40m contacts into Australia and
New Zealand. A number of contacts have been logged and Predtest.uk
shows that 0600-0700hrs is probably best for a long-path contact;
1300-1600hrs might favour a short-path one.
Next week NOAA predicts the solar flux index will remain around 70,
but the Kp index may rise, probably due to a returning coronal hole.
It predicts a Kp index of four on the 20th and unsettled geomagnetic
conditions which may peak around the 25th-26th with a Kp index of
six. So the conclusion is, make the most of the HF this weekend as
the predicted conditions are likely to be poor for the rest of next
week. Otherwise, look for auroral contacts on 10m next weekend.
And now the VHF and up propagation news.
This is a tricky week to predict, but hopefully with some chance of
Tropo. The VHF highlight though is the peak of the Orionids meteor
shower on the morning of the 21st. With a ZHR of 20 it's one of the
larger ones of the year. The shower is already under way and runs
from about October 2 to November 7. It's caused by the stream of
debris left behind by Comet Halley.
On the Tropo front, we ended last week with high pressure occupying
much of the country and offering a chance of paths primarily between
the UK and France plus across the North Sea to southern Scandinavia
and Baltic. Early next week a low tracks south-east from Iceland
towards Denmark and introduces colder showery weather and a good
prospect for rain scatter with heavy showers over the adjoining
coastal waters. After mid-week, a new high builds in from the west
and leaves us in high-pressure Tropo weather to finish the week.
The Moon's declination is negative all week reaching a minimum on
Wednesday, so Moon visibility windows are short. The maximum Moon
elevation in South-East England is just 12 degrees and, as we passed
perigee last Friday night, path losses will increase. The 144MHz sky
noise is high until the end of this week, above 2600 kelvin on
Wednesday, so all in all it is a poor week for EME.
Finally, keep an eye out for auroral propagation due to the predicted
disturbed Sun.
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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