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G4TNU > NEWS 15.01.12 10:04l 197 Lines 9678 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday 15th January 2012
The news headlines:
* RSGB representation at World Radiocommunication Conference
* SOS Radio Week coming up
* KA1GMN gets special spread spectrum licence
RSGB Past President Colin, G3PSM will be attending the World
Radiocommunication Conference 2012 from 23 January to 17 February as
part of the IARU Region 1 team. He will be posting up-to-the-minute
news on the RSGB website. More information is at
www.rsgb.org/WRC-12-news.
SOS Radio Week starts at 0000 on Saturday 21 January and concludes
nine days later at 2359 on Sunday 29 January. It is a sponsored
operating event, where registered stations operate for as much time
as they can spare, making as many contacts as they can. All
sponsorship money raised is donated to the Royal National Lifeboat
Institution. Over the last two years the event has proven very
popular and raised in excess of GBP 6,500. This year looks like being
another bumper year, with over 35 stations registered. Many of these
are special event stations operating on specific days during the
event from lifeboat stations around the country, but there are also
several individual stations that will be operating all week from home
and various other locations. Visit www.sosradioweek.org.uk for a list
of participating stations and a registration form, if you would like
to take part yourself, as it's not too late to register.
The American FCC has granted KA1GMN a Special Temporary Authority to
conduct spread spectrum experiments on 2 to 160m. The 6 month
authorisation starts on 1 February and expires on 31 July. It limits
KA1GMN to a maximum 2.5kHz of signal bandwidths at 100 watts
effective radiated power.
The popular Wainwrights on the Air scheme has been improved to make
it easier to get involved. The Wainwrights are the 214 Lake District
mountains described by Alfred Wainwright in his seven iconic guides.
The WOTA scheme, which runs continuously, involves making contacts
from and to the Lake District summits as an Activator or Chaser. The
scheme now covers Wainwright's additional 116 Outlying Fells.
Ascending the smaller Outlying Fells generally entails relatively
easier hiking, offering visiting amateurs a simple way to sample the
scheme as Activators. 2m FM handheld equipment is most commonly used
and a standard rubber duck antenna usually enables a number of
contacts to be made from the summits. Using vertical and beam types
will naturally increase success. More Chasers will also be welcomed,
fixed, mobile or operating portable themselves. Information is
available at the scheme website, www.wota.org.uk.
And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week
The Red Rose Winter Rally takes place today, 15 January, at George H
Carnall Leisure Centre, Kingsway Park, M41 7FJ. The venue is easily
accessible from Junction 9 of the M60, opposite the Trafford Centre.
Doors open at 11am. There is free car parking, traders, a Bring &
Buy, special interest groups and an RSGB bookstall. Details from
Steve, on 07502 295 141.
Also today, 15 January, the Dover Amateur Radio Club Rally takes
place at Whitfield Village Hall, Dover CT16 3LY. There will be trade
stands and a Bring & Buy.
The next rally we have details for takes place on 29 January. The
Horncastle Winter Rally will be held in the Horncastle Youth Centre,
Lincolnshire LN9 6DZ. Doors open at 10.30am and admission is
GBP 1.50. Details from Tony, G3ZPU on 01507 527 835.
Advance notice now that the Spring Kempton Rally has moved to 22
April to avoid a clash with the Blackpool Rally. Details are at
www.radiofairs.org.uk.
Now for the news of special events
Orkney Amateur Radio Club is supporting SOS Radio Week from 21 to 29
January. There will be a special event station at or near each of the
Islands' three lifeboat stations. GB1OL will be in Stromness; GB2OL
will in Longhope, based at the old lifeboat station; and GB4OL will
be at Kirkwall Bay. QSLs should be sent direct with the information
on the website, http://eu009.webplus.net/gb1ol.html. The stations
will be active on most bands, mainly at the weekends, and will
concentrate on 80, 40 and 20m.
Mid Ulster Amateur Radio Club will be putting the club callsign,
MN0VFW, on the air in support of SOS Radio Week. The station should
be active on the HF bands between 1100 and 1600 GMT on Saturday 21
January and between 1000 and 150 GMT on Sunday 22 January. Thanks to
the kind permission of Nigel Sands, 2I0GLY, the club will be
operating from the shores of Lough Neagh at Sands Marine and Leisure
at Kinnego Marina in Lurgan. As with all Mid Ulster events, visitors
are more than welcome to call in person and experience some of the
club's legendary hospitality.
The Philippine Amateur Radio League is celebrating its golden
anniversary this year. To commemorate this milestone, a commemorative
diploma can be obtained by establishing 2-way QSOs with its members.
The rules to qualify for the award and sample diploma can be viewed
at www.dx1l.dxhams.net/Awards.htm. They will also be putting a
special event callsign, 4G0LD, on air throughout the year.
And now the HF DX news compiled from 425 DX News and other sources
Mike, VE2XB will be on the air from the island of Dominica in the
Caribbean from now until the end of January. He will use the callsign
J79XB.
The Pacific island of Tuvalu will be activated by two Hungarian
operators, HA5AO and HA5UK, from 12 to 26 January. The call to be
used is T2HA.
Francis, F6BLP will be active again as 6W7SK from Senegal from 20
January to 3 February. He plans to focus on the low bands and CW. QSL
via F6BLP.
Six operators will be active as TN2T from Congo from 22 to 31
January. They will have three stations active on 10 to 160 metres
SSB, CW and RTTY, with a focus on 160 and 80m. Further information
can be found at www.tn2t.be. QSL via M0URX, preferably via the OQRS
facility on his website, http://m0urx.com/oqrs for either direct and
bureau requests.
Now the contest news
Today, Sunday 15th, the Super League series continues with 80m CW
Affiliated Societies Contests taking place from 1400 to 1800UTC.
Using CW only, the exchange is signal report and serial number. It is
followed six days later, on the 21st, by the 80m SSB AFS, also a
Super League event. Taking place from 1400 to 1800, inter-UK
propagation for these should be fine for the first couple of hours,
but expect the skip to lengthen significantly as darkness falls. The
exchange is signal report and serial number.
On January 17 the 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest takes place from
2000-2230. Using all modes on the band, the exchange is signal
report, serial number and locator.
The HA DX Contest on 21-22 January has no fewer than 18 entry
categories! Work everyone, giving them a signal report and serial
number, between 1200 and 1200UTC. HAs send a signal report and
Hungarian county code.
And now the solar factual data for the period from Friday the 6th to
Thursday the 12th of January, compiled by Neil Clarke, G0CAS on the
13th of January.
The number of sunspot groups visible this week was well down on
recent weeks. Some days only three groups were visible. Solar
activity though was low, with C class solar flares taking place every
day. By far the most interesting flare of the period was the C2 solar
flare on the 12th. Although not very strong, it did last for over six
hours. A coronal mass ejection was associated with this flare. Solar
flux levels declined from 141 units on the 7th to 117 by the 12th.
The average was 132 units. The 90 day solar flux average on the 12th
was 145 units, that's one unit up on last week. X-ray flux levels
declined slightly from the start of the period to the end and
averaged B5.2 units. Geomagnetic activity was quiet every day; the
most disturbed days were the 9th and the 12th, with an Ap index of
only 5 units on both days. The average was Ap 4 units. Solar wind
data from the ACE spacecraft saw solar wind speeds vary between 360
and 470 kilometres per second but increased to 550 during the 12th.
Particle densities were low every day. Bz never varied more than
minus 7 and plus 8 nanoTeslas during the period. Despite falling
solar flux levels and thanks to continued low geomagnetic figures, HF
propagation generally reached predicted values, with 28MHz open every
day.
And finally the solar forecast. This week the slightly more active
side of the Sun is expected to be rotating into view. Solar activity
is expected to be mostly low to moderate, with C class solar flares
taking place every day. There is also a chance of an occasional M
class flare taking place. Solar flux levels should increase and be in
the 130's later in the week. Geomagnetic activity should be quiet
every day. MUFs during daylight hours at equal latitudes should be
around 27MHz. Darkness hour lows are expected to be about 8MHz. Paths
this week to South Africa should have a maximum usable frequency with
a 50 per cent success rate of around 33MHz. The optimum working
frequency with a 90 per cent success rate will be about 26MHz. The
best time to try this path will be between 1000 and 1600 hours.
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 Thursday before transmission.
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