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G4TNU > NEWS 14.12.11 22:51l 184 Lines 9228 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 18 Dec
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday 18th December 2011
The news headlines:
* New version of ROS released
* A Ham's Night Before Christmas
* PW-Sat to launch in January
A new version of the ROS data software has released by author José,
EA5HVK. The updates include improved performance for HF NVIS
communications. On 1 December the code structure of ROS HF was
changed in order to support mid to low band NVIS propagation.
Versions prior to 6.8.4 will be incompatible with the latest version.
There is no change to the medium frequency and EME modes. You can
download the new version of ROS from www.rosmodem.wordpress.com.
Just in time for the Christmas season, Gary, KN4AQ, has created a
video version of Clement Clark Moore's poem The Night Before
Christmas. But Gary's version has a decidedly amateur radio twist.
Entitled A Ham's Night Before Christmas, it features QST magazine
covers and Christmas-themed advertisements from days gone by. You can
see the video at tinyurl.com/KN4AQ-Night-Before-Christmas.
PW-Sat, a 1U CubeSat to be launched on the first VEGA flight in
January, will carry a 145 to 435MHz amateur radio transponder with an
FM uplink and DSB downlink. More information can be found at
www.uk.amsat.org.
Bookings are now being taken for the Northern Cross Rally run by
Wakefield and District Radio Society, which will take place on Sunday
12 February 2012. Full details and bookings can be accessed online at
www.northerncrossrally.com or by phoning Ken, 2E0SSQ on 07900 563117,
before 8pm please.
The actor Tim Allen of Toy Story, The Santa Clause and Galaxy Quest
fame, stars in a new American TV series called Last Man Standing.
It's an ABC comedy where Tim Allen plays Mike Baxter, KA0XTT, a
married father of three and the director of marketing at an outdoor
sporting goods store in Colorado. No news whether it will air on this
side of the Atlantic yet.
This is the last GB2RS broadcast of 2011. There will be no news
readings on 25 December or 1 January. But we will be back in the New
Year, bringing you the all the latest amateur radio news.
Transmissions re-start on Sunday 8 January. We would like to take
this opportunity to send warm season's greetings to all our listeners
and wish everyone a prosperous New Year.
And now for the details of rallies and events
The Friskney & East Lincolnshire Communications Club Mid-Winter
Tabletop Sale and Auction will take place on 3 January at the
Friskney Village Hall, Church Road, Friskney, Lincolnshire PE22 8RR.
The event includes the Special Event Station GB2YR. Doors open 7pm
and entry is GBP 1.50. Tables are 2 for GBP 4 and there will be free
tea & coffee. Details from Ian Donnelly, 2E0XOD, 07554 362 020.
We have no news of any special events for the next three weeks, so
now the HF DX news, compiled from 425 DX News and other sources
SM6CPY will be active as 9X0PY from Rwanda between 24 December and 7
January 2012. His operation will be holiday style on all bands but
with a focus on 20 through 10 metres. QSL to his home callsign,
direct or via the bureau.
KH0UY and KH0K will be operational from Saipan in the Northern
Mariana Islands between 7 and 10 January. Their activity will be on 6
to 80m, plus the satellites. QSL via their home callsigns of JO3FRH
and JE4SMQ, either direct or by the bureau.
Members of the Russian Robinson Club will attempt to activate another
all-time IOTA new one in Alaska, the Bethel County group, NA-240,
between 5 and 8 January 2012. They will concentrate on 20, 30 and 40m.
Now the contest news
On 20 December, the 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest takes place from 2000
to 2230. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial
number and locator.
Spread across the four days that follow Christmas Day, the Christmas
Cumulatives are an opportunity to take part in four quick-fire
contests. Activity is on 6m, 4m, 2m and 70cm simultaneously on all
four days, so to do well you not only need to be QRV on all four
bands, you need to engage in a lot of band hopping in each of the
2-hour sessions. The 6m and microwave UKACs take place on the 27th
and round out the year.
The DARC Christmas Contest takes place for 2½ hours on 26 December
using the 3.5 and 7MHz bands. It promises every participant a
downloadable certificate. All entry categories are single-op, but the
options are then low/high power and CW-only or mixed mode. It is a
sprint event in which the DLs get multipliers for working different
prefixes, so they will certainly be on the lookout for non-domestic
QSOs. Non-DL to non-DL QSOs are valid, so for UK stations there's no
need to concentrate on working Germany.
27 December sees the 50MHz UK Activity Contest and the SHF UK
Activity Contest taking place from 2000 to 2230UTC. The exchange is
the same for both contests, signal report, serial number and locator.
Internationally, the New Year begins with a lot of contests. On Bank
Holiday Monday, 2 January, it's the ITRS 80m Counties Contest from
1400 to 1700UTC. For those not in Ireland, work EIs and GIs only,
giving them a report and serial number. EI and GI stations send a
report, serial number and County code, and work everyone. There are
various sections to enter.
On 3 January, the 144MHz UK Activity Contest takes place from 2000 to
2230UTC. Using all modes the exchange is signal report, serial number
and locator.
On the weekend of 7-8th, the ARRL RTTY Roundup will be making the
datamode portions of the HF bands busy. Activity is on all datamodes.
Work everyone, but operate for no more than 24 of the 30 hours. There
are low- and high-power categories for single- and multi-operator
stations. Entrants are limited to a single transmitter, irrespective
of section, and there are no single-band entries. Send a signal
report and serial number. US stations will send a signal report and
their 2-letter State code, while Canadian stations will send a signal
report and their 3-letter Province code.
If Morse is your thing, on the same weekend you might like to entry
the EUCW 160m CW Party. There are two 3-hour sessions, the first late
on Saturday night and the second early the following morning. Members
of clubs affiliated to the European CW Association send RST + name +
club + membership number, while others send RST + name + ‘NM' for
non member.
And now the solar factual data for the period from the 5th to the
11th of December, compiled by Neil Clarke, G0CAS on the 12th of
December.
Numerous sunspot groups were visible every day with up to eleven
groups visible on the 8th. Most were small and quiet but a few groups
produced a small number of low level C class solar flares every day
except for the 6th. This was the first day when solar activity was at
very low levels since the 28th of August. Solar flux levels declined
every day from 158 units on the 5th to 134 by the 11th. The average
was 146. The 90 day solar flux average on the 11th was 146, that's
two units up on last week. X-ray flux levels declined from B5.2 units
on the 5th to B3.9 by the 9th, the average was B4.5 units.
Geomagnetic activity was quiet every day, the most disturbed day was
the 10th with an Ap index of 8 units. The average was Ap 3 units.
Solar wind data from the ACE spacecraft saw solar wind speeds decline
from 410 kilometres per second on the 5th to 280 by the 7th, after
which speeds recovered to around 500 kilometres per second on the
10th and 11th. Particle densities remained low every day. Bz showed
little variation on the quiet days and between minus and plus 9
nanoTeslas on the most disturbed day.
Finally, a word about these reports. Up to now they have been
produced in two versions. One, for the postal version of the script,
prepared by Neil, G0CAS, covering the week up to the Sunday before
transmission. A second, updated, version edited by Martin, G3USF, was
circulated on Saturdays. From the New Year a single version, edited
by G0CAS, will carry material from the Friday to the following
Thursday. This will be dispatched to HQ on a Friday morning. The
Saturday version will be discontinued. However, should a major
development occur on a Saturday, we will do our best to post a late
revision onto the Society's website.
Many thanks are due to the organisations where we use their data on a
regular daily basis, without which it would be impossible to compile
this report, Also to the staff at RSGB HQ and the GB2RS newsreaders
and listeners, Martin and myself would like to wish you all a very
Merry Christmas and a Happy and Peaceful New Year with lots of DX.
See you on the 8th of January.
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.
Please note that there will be no RSGB News for the next two weeks; the next scheduled bulletin will be for Sunday 8 January 2012. Items for inclusion in that bulletin can be emailed to gb2rs<at>rsgb.org.uk to arrive mo later than 10:00 on the Tuesday before transmission.
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