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G4TNU > NEWS 22.01.12 02:04l 181 Lines 8939 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 22 Jan 2012
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday 22 January 2012
The news headlines:
* New RadCom Band Plans show substantial changes
* D-Star node test in London
* Leap Day and Leap Second in 2012
The latest edition of RadCom features the 2012 RSGB Band Plans and a
background article on the substantial changes that have occurred.
This information is now also available to all amateurs online at
www.rsgb.org/operating/bandplans. In particular, please note that
there have been major changes in the 40m, 10m, 6m, 4m and 23cm bands,
so please ensure that any older editions are discarded.
The digital node test for the pending London 2012 Olympic Simplex
D-Star Nodes is planned for this weekend, 21 and 22 January. The test
will be carried out both on 2m and 70cm in Echo Test Mode only,
without D-Star gateway, between hours of 1000 and 1600UTC. The D-Star
node will record your digital test transmission and then retransmit
it back to you and, at the same time, you will then be able to see
what type of coverage will be available. Today, 22 January, the test
will be on 145.3125MHz. Gary, 2E0ULA and Michael, 2E0MRE will be on
hand for assistance and talk back will be on to be GB7OK. For more
info visit www.gb7ok.com.
The International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service has
decided that a positive leap second will be added to Coordinated
Universal Time, or UTC, at the end of June 2012. While a leap second
can be added and taken from any month, it has only occurred at the
end of December and June. The most recent leap was added on December
31, 2008. A leap second is necessary because of the Earth's
unpredictable rotation. UTC is based on atomic clocks, but has been
kept more or less synchronised with mean solar time by way of leap
seconds.
The Six and Ten Reporting Club is an informal group of amateurs,
mostly from the UK, who are interested in propagation studies at
frequencies around the HF-VHF boundary, mainly the 6 and 10 metre
amateur bands. The club produces a monthly newsletter, the Six and
Ten Report, that includes analysis of 28MHz propagation based on
beacon monitoring, analysis of 50MHz activity reports broken down by
propagation mode, reports and discussions on unusual propagation
events, compilations of solar and geomagnetic data, lists of activity
world-wide, beacon news, and results of on-going experiments.
And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week
The Horncastle Winter Rally will take place on 29 January 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.
Now for the news of special events
In addition to the clubs mentioned in previous weeks' news, the
Riviera Amateur Radio Club will be supporting SOS Radio Week. GB4TBL
will be operating on HF and 2m from Beacon Quay, Torquay Harbour on
Saturday, 28 January between 1100 and 1600GMT. For full details see
www.rivieraarc.org.uk/events/gb4tbl/.
Special event station DL150BH is active on all bands and modes until
31 December to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the city of Bad
Honnef. QSL via the bureau.
And now the HF DX news compiled from 425 DX News and other sources
F8APV will be active from Reunion Island from 22 January until 10
February, signing portable FR. QSL as directed on the air.
Take, JG8NQJ will be back to Minami Torishima, OC-073, for three
months. In his spare time he will operate mainly CW with some SSB as
JG8NQJ/JD1, running 50 watts in order not to interfere with the
weather station equipment. QSL via the bureau to JG8NQJ or direct to
JA8CJY.
The website for the Kiritimati DXpedition is now up and running at
www.t32kiritimati2012.com. Look for T32AU, T32CO, T32LJ, T32TR,
T32TX, T32WW and T32WW to be on the air on 6 to 160 metres CW, SSB
and RTTY.
Six operators will be active as TN2T from Congo from 22 to 31
January. The will have three stations active on 160 to 10m 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
The 50MHz UK Activity Contest takes place on 24 January from 2000 to
2230UTC. Using all modes the exchange is signal report, serial number
and locator.
Also on 24 January the SHF UK Activity Contest takes place at the
same time, 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 2.3 to 10GHz
bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
The CQWW 160m DX Contest takes place for 48 hours, starting at 2200
on the 27th, using CW only. Work only the contiguous 48 States plus
Canada, giving a signal report and CQ Zone. The UK is Zone 14. USA
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. Accurate log keeping is a must in this event, because
there are penalties for bad or busted QSOs.
The BARTG RTTY Sprint takes place for 24 hours on 28-29th from 1200
to 1200UTC. Since last year it has become an event in the HF
Championship, but it is still adjudicated by BARTG and competing
stations need to submit their entries to BARTG. Single band entries
are not allowed and the contest uses the bands from 3.8 to 28MHz. The
contest exchange is serial number only. Stations who have been placed
in the Top 10 of any BARTG event in the past three years must enter
the Expert category.
The Worked All Britain 1.8MHz phone contest takes place next
Saturday, 28 January, from 1900 to 2300UTC. The exchange is signal
report, serial number and WAB square. Full details of the rules and
logsheets may be obtained from the WAB website
www.worked-all-britain.co.uk or from the Contest Manager, G3XKT, by
email to aebbooks<at>ntlworld.com.
And now the solar factual data for the period from Friday the 13th to
Thursday the 19th of January, compiled by Neil Clarke, G0CAS on the
20th of January.
On the 14th two new sunspot groups rotated into view and since then
solar activity increased to moderate levels with M class solar flares
taking place. The largest was a long duration M3 solar flare on the
19th. This flare lasted for just over four hours and was accompanied
by a large coronal mass ejection. Several other flares produced
sudden ionospheric disturbances and coronal mass ejections. Solar
flux levels increased from 124 units on the 13th to 157 by the 19th.
The average was 139. The 90 day solar flux average on the 19th was
144, that's one unit down on last week. X-ray flux levels increased
to peak at C1 units on the 16th but declined back to B5.9 by the
19th. The average was B6.4 units. Geomagnetic activity was quiet
every day. A very small disturbance arrived on the 16th with an Ap
index of 8 units, which was the most disturbed day. The average was 4
units. Solar wind data from the ACE spacecraft saw solar wind speeds
decline from 560 kilometres per second on the 13th to 350 by the
19th. Particle densities were low except for an increase to 15
particles per cubic centimetre late on the 15th and early on the
16th. Bz showed little variation on most days but varied between
minus 9 and plus 10 nanoTeslas on the 16th. A small aurora was
reported during the afternoon and evening of the 16th but was
restricted to stations in the far north. Lower down the spectrum, on
28MHz, all continents were worked every day. A small Sporadic-E
opening was reported during the evening of the 19th.
And finally the solar forecast. This week the active side of the Sun
is expected to be looking our way. Solar activity is expected to be
at moderate levels on some days. Solar flux levels should be around
150's or even slightly higher. Geomagnetic activity is expected to be
quiet every day, however, if a large solar flare takes place and an
associated coronal mass ejection heads our way then activity would
increase. A disturbance is expected to arrive late on the 21st or the
22nd from the M3 solar flare of the 19th. MUFs during daylight hours
at equal latitudes should be about 29MHz. Darkness hour lows are
expected to be around 8MHz. Paths this week to Japan should have a
maximum usable frequency with a 50 per cent success rate of around
27MHz. The optimum working frequency with a 90 per cent success rate
will be about 20MHz. The best time to try this path will be between
0700 and 1000 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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