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G4TNU > NEWS 06.04.11 18:35l 243 Lines 12278 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 10 Apr
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday 10th April 2011
The news headlines:
* RSGB AGM to be held in Derby on 14 May
* QSL bureau changes
* T32C DXpedition raffle
Don't forget, the 84th RSGB AGM will be held in the Menzies
Mickleover Court, Etwall Road, Mickleover, Derby DE3 0XX on Saturday
14 May, commencing at 12 noon. Doors will open from 11 until 11.45am
for registration. After lunch there will be an Open Forum at 2pm. Why
not make it a full day out and join us for dinner? After the AGM
there will a dinner in celebration of amateur radio. Join the
President, Dave Wilson, M0OBW and members of the Board for a splendid
social evening in the true traditions of amateur radio. Tickets are
available from the online RSGB shop, priced GBP 26.
Roy Walsh, G4ZNK is stepping down as volunteer manager for the M zero
D to M zero F QSL card series. The Society wishes to thank him for
his service to his fellow amateurs and welcomes his replacement Jim
Steel, M0ZAK. All cards and envelopes are being transferred to M0ZAK
who is QTHR. Details can also be found on the RSGB website or via the
RSGB QSL bureau.
CDXC is running a raffle in support of the T32C DXpedition. There is
one prize, a Yaesu FT-950 transceiver that sells for around
GBP 1,290. This prize is sponsored by Martin Lynch & Sons, Nevada
Radio and Yaesu UK. ML&S is also supplying a 30A power supply.
Contact the promoter Neville Cheadle, G3NUG for details, email
g3nug<at>btinternet.com or 01568 750 560. The draw will take place on
26 August just prior to the DXpedition.
The Reunion of the Radio Security Service ex-members on Sunday 17
April in the Mansion at Bletchley Park will include an illustrated
lecture on how radio amateurs helped to win the war. More than a
thousand amateur radio volunteers listened on the short wave bands,
in secret in their own homes, for illicit signals in the UK. What
they uncovered were the transmitters of the German Secret Service
operating all over Europe and beyond. Besides penetrating the most
secret aspects of the service they also learnt about spies sent here.
Some of them were 'turned' to work for us under the supervision of
radio amateurs, notably Ronnie Reed, G2RX. More can be found at
http://secretlisteners.org.
On 3 April a new distance record set for optical communication by a
group of radio amateurs from North-East England. The distance worked
was just a few metres short of 90km. Signals were exchanged on FM and
SSB at remarkable strengths. The contact was made from Race Head in
County Durham, which is locator IO94VS to Danby Moor near Whitby,
which is locator IO84NK. The team at Race Head included two stations,
Stuart, G8CYW running the transverter and LED transceiver of his
design featured in recent articles in RadCom, and Brian, G8KPD also
running his version of the designs, plus separate receive and
transmit heads. The station on Danby Moor was operated by Rob, M0DTS
using his version of the transverter featured in RadCom.
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first man in space,
Russian pilot Yuri Gagarin, on 12 April 1961, and the anniversary of
the first flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia on 12 April 1981,
special event station N4S will be on the air. The station will be
active on the HF bands from 10m to 80m on SSB. A special electronic
certificate will be issued for this occasion. For information go to
WP3GW on qrz.com.
Arissat-1 will be activated inside the ISS on that same day, 12
April, and will send voice messages and slow scan TV images, plus CW
and data from the new PSK1000 mode on the frequency 145.950MHz. For
more info go to www.amsat.org.
The International Short Wave League is celebrating its 65th
anniversary in 2011. GB65ISWL will be on the air over the weekend of
16 and 17 April. Activity will start around 1800 hours on Friday,
April 15th. Modes will be SSB and the PSK modes. Main operator will
be Herbie, G6XOU.
And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week
Today, Sunday 10 April, it's the Cambridgeshire Repeater Group Annual
Rally at Foxton Village Hall, Hardman Road, Foxton, Cambridge
CB22 6RN. There is talk-in on S22 in advance of the 10am start, trade
stands, a Bring & Buy and catering. Entry is GBP 2. Contact Lawrence,
M0LCM, on 01223 654880 for more information.
Also on today, Sunday 10 April, is the Northern Amateur Radio
Societies Association Exhibition, also known as the Blackpool rally.
Held at Norbreck Castle Exhibition Centre, Blackpool FY2 9AA, it
opens at 10.45 for disabled visitors and 11am for everyone else. Car
parking is available, there are trade stands, an RSGB book stall,
Bring & Buy, club and special interest stands. For more information
contact Dave, M0OBW, on 01270 761 608.
Over the weekend of 16 and 17 April, Jim, M0JHW will be holding
another of his field days at the Sports & Social Club, Harlaxton,
Grantham NG32 1HX. There will be plenty of tea and coffee and a BBQ
in the afternoon. All are invited to come and meet old friends and
make new ones. There will also be ample opportunity to play radio.
Details from Jim by email to m0jhwjim<at>aol.co.uk.
At the next Kempton Rally at Kempton Park Race Course on Sunday 17
April, Radiofairs will be holding a group of technical clinics that
are designed to help newcomers and old timer alike with any amateur
radio problems. The clinics will be held in the quiet lecture theatre
area and will be available all day. The amongst the topics covered
will be EMC problems and solutions, how to get started in amateur
radio, getting started in contesting and improving your results,
antenna advice, home brew advice and a rig basic health check.
Details are available on the internet at www.radiofairs.co.uk.
Past RSGB President, Angus Annan, MM1CCR, will be speaker and a guest
of honour at the Pearl Anniversary Lough Erne Rally on 17 April. His
busy programme includes a talk about the National Radio Centre at
Bletchley Park, the presentation of the Regional Club of the Year
Award to Lough Erne Amateur Radio Club and certificates of
congratulation to the Club's nine new Intermediate licensees. Further
details at www.lougherneradioclub.co.uk.
Also on Sunday 17 April the Andover Radio Amateur Club Boot Sale will
take place at Wildhern Village Hall and Playing Field, north of
Andover just off the A343 at SP11 0JE. Entry is GBP 1.50, with
vendors GBP 6 per boot/table or GBP 8 inside the hall. Details from
Martin, M0MWS on 01980 612070.
Now for the news of special events
On 12 April, GB4SWF will be on the air from the Speyside Whiskey
Festival in Banffshire. Then, on 15 April, GB4SG will be on the air
for St George's Day from Northampton and MI0RTX will put GB0AVB will
be on the air from County Antrim promoting the work of artificial
voice boxes. On 16 April Grantham radio amateurs are putting GB0GRA
on the air.
GB4FPR is participating in this year's Marine Radio Day event over 14
and 15 April from 1200 to 1200UTC from Fort Perch Rock Marine Radio
Museum. Whilst using the normal amateur frequencies they will also be
transmitting on 502/503kHz CW and replying on same frequencies to
suitably equipped stations and crossband replies on 3570 or 7030kHz
to non suitably equipped stations depending on operational
conditions. Signal reports are welcomed. QSLs to M0BZZ direct or via
the bureau.
And now the HF DX news compiled from 425 DX News and other sources
The September 2011 Timor-Leste DXpedition has now received its
callsign, 4W6A, from ARCOM, the licensing authority in Dili. The team
is very grateful to ARCOM for issuing this special one-letter
callsign for use on the DXpedition. The DXpedition has a website at
www.4W6A.com, which includes profiles of the team members,
propagation predictions and lots of information about Timor-Leste and
Atauro Island, the location of the DXpedition.
A major IOTA expedition that incorporates several different IOTA
references in Papua New Guinea has just started and the team are
currently Nuguria Islands, IOTA reference OC-257, where the call
P29NI will be used until 14 April. This is followed by the Green
Islands, IOTA reference OC-231, where they will use P29VLR from 15 to
18 April.
Dave, EI9FBB will pay a short visit to Monaco later this month and
will be active as 3A/EI9FBB from 20 – 22 April. Operation will be
mainly in the afternoons and logs will be uploaded to Logbook of the
World and eQSL.
Craig, VK4LDX will be on the air from Magnetic Island, which is IOTA
reference OC-171, from 17 to 20 April. He plans to operate SSB, PSK41
and RTTY. He will use the call VK4LDX/P.
Now the contest news
The 432MHz UK Activity Contest is taking place on Tuesday 12 April
from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes the exchange is signal report,
serial number and locator.
On Wednesday 13 April, the 80m Club Championships SSB leg is taking
place between 1900 and 2030UTC. The exchange is signal report and
serial number.
On Saturday 16 April the Spring EU Sprint SSB contest takes place
between 1600 and 2000UTC on the 3.5 to 14MHz bands. It's a 4-hour
event with a rigid exchange structure of both callsigns, a serial
number and your name (or nickname). You'll have to engage in some
band hopping, to make the most of changing conditions.
And now the solar factual data for the period from the 28th of March
to the 3rd of April, compiled by Neil Clarke, G0CAS on the 4th of
April.
To start this week an update on the latest smoothed monthly sunspot
numbers which are for June, July and August 2010 and are 16.4, 16.8
and 17.4 respectively.
The two large complex sunspot groups that were visible on the solar
disc for most of the week failed to produce any large solar flares.
They could only produce isolated small C class solar flares everyday
except for the 2nd. On occasions, small sudden ionospheric
disturbances and coronal mass ejections occurred with these flares
but their effect on propagation was minimal. Some days they were up
to six groups visible but many were very small. Solar flux levels
declined from 119 units on the 28th to 108 by the 2nd. The average
was 114 units. The 90 day solar flux average on the 3rd was 99 units.
That's three units up on last week. X-ray flux levels varied little
day to day and averaged B3 units. Geomagnetic activity was quiet
every day until the 1st when a recurring coronal hole disturbance
arrived. This carried on through to the 3rd. The most disturbed day
was the 2nd with an Ap index of 20 units. The average was Ap 9 units.
Solar wind data from the ACE spacecraft saw solar wind speeds
increase from 300 kilometres per second to 710 by the 2nd. Particle
densities were low except for an increase to 40 particles per cubic
centimetre during the evening of the 29th. Bz on the quiet days
varied between minus and plus 4 nanoTeslas and between minus and plus
10 nanoTeslas during the disturbance. Interestingly, on the 30th the
Bz remained positive for the complete day and varied between plus 5
and plus 13 nanoTeslas.
And now the solar forecast. This week solar activity is expected to
be at low levels, however there is a chance that activity could
increase on some days. Solar flux levels are expected to decline and
be in the 90s for most of the week. Geomagnetic activity is expected
to be quiet everyday. MUFs during daylight hours at equal latitudes
should be about 25MHz for the south and 22MHz for the north. Darkness
hour lows are expected to be about 10MHz. Paths this week to South
Africa should have a maximum usable frequency with a 50 per cent
success rate of around 31MHz. The optimum working frequency with a 90
per cent success rate will be about 24MHz. The best time to try this
path will be between 1100 and 1600 hours UTC.
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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