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G4TNU > NEWS 18.11.12 01:21l 219 Lines 11491 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 18 Nov 2012
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday 18th November 2012
The news headlines:
* Amateur deals with airline Mayday
* Longest-serving GB2RS Newsreader becomes silent key
* Latest news on PLT
In the middle of Hurricane Sandy, a Northern Ireland amateur picked
up a Mayday transmission from an aircraft bound from Dublin to
Boston. Problems with the radio system on the ground in the USA
prevented local controllers from hearing the aircraft. According to a
BBC report, Benny Young, MI3JQD relayed messages from the United
Airlines aircraft to an emergency net. The plane had to be diverted
from Boston because of 95 mile per hour winds at the airport.
The Radio Society of Great Britain is saddened to report that its
longest serving GB2RS Newsreader, Jimmy Porter, GI3GGY, died on
Wednesday 7 November. He was 92 years of age and had spent the two
previous weeks in hospital. Jimmy was an active member of the RSGB's
news broadcasting team until 2009/2010. He thus served in this
capacity for some 55 years. In March 1954 he was asked by the RSGB
Secretary, John Clarricoats, G6CL, to make a test AM voice
transmission on 40 metres in order to assess the hoped-for UK
coverage during daylight hours. Subsequently, the RSGB obtained
permission from the GPO to broadcast GB2RS news on the 80m band. The
first GB2RS news broadcast was actually made by Frank Hicks Arnold,
G6MB, of Walton-on-Thames, on 25 September 1955. However, shortly
afterwards the GPO gave permission for 40 metres to be used as well,
and Jimmy commenced news reading each Sunday morning on 7047.5kHz. He
employed an RCA ET4336 broadcast transmitter and a massive HF log
periodic antenna for the purpose. Our thoughts are with his family at
this difficult time.
For over 15 years the RSGB has been active in standards work for
powerline communications devices. The Society's position opposing the
latest proposals was presented to the UK BSI committee, supported by
other members, but the UK voted in favour which, along with other EU
national committees, caused the standard to be approved. What does
this mean for UK radio amateurs? New devices must be certified to
meet EN50561-2012, which gives significant protection to the amateur
HF bands through fixed notching to the levels of the previous
standard. It also requires a test to confirm dynamic power control,
which reduces levels dependant on the insertion loss between the
PLTs. Broadcast DX frequencies are outside the notch-protected bands
and could suffer interference 10,000 times higher than previously.
Intermodulation effects could also give rise to interference in the
protected bands. We are starting a campaign to investigate and report
all problems thought to be caused by these devices. We need your
help, as only by proving that these devices cause real problems can
we successfully lobby for modification to standard to reduce the
permitted emissions. The small number of problems reported from the
large population of these devices already installed in Europe swayed
the vote on the standard. You can read more abut this in the January
2013 RadCom and on the RSGB website.
The popular Sunday evening 5MHz Sunset Net is changing frequency. The
net, as its name implies, meets around UK sunset time on Sunday
evenings to compare propagation with that during the 5MHz GB2RS News
earlier the same day. It has for some time met on the UK's 5371.5kHz
channel. Following a number of reception reports from amateurs in the
Republic of Ireland, the net participants have decided to move the
Sunset Net's frequency to 5398.5kHz, with a backup of 5278.5kHz,
beginning today, 18 November, as both these latter two channels are
available to EI amateurs. It is hoped that more EI amateurs with 5MHz
experimental licensees will join the net in the future. They welcome
all who wish to participate.
A Russian taxi business from the Moscow area is using FM on
21.4042MHz daily. You can often hear a female voice organising the
business. IARU Region 1 continues to monitor the situation and
encourages all amateurs to continue to use the frequency as normal.
Since October, mysterious Chinese signals on 7, 14, 21 and 21.010MHz
have been heard. At first the A3E signals were sounding like a grunt
or moo. These very strong multitone signals with a carrier and both
sidebands have been heard every morning. The purpose is unknown, but
IARU Region 1 encourages anyone who hears these signals to report
them to the Intruder Watch service.
And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week
The Mayo Radio Experimenters Network Radio Rally will take place
today, 18 November, at the Welcome Inn, Castlebar, Co Mayo. Doors
open at 11am and admission is €5 per adult. Children are free. The
usual traders will be in attendance. More information about the rally
can be found on the club website, www.ei7mre.org.
The North Wakefield Radio Club Rally will take place on Saturday 24
November at Drighlington [pronounced Drig-ling-tan] Community Hall,
Moorland Road, Drighlington BD11 1JZ. Talk in is on S22, doors open
at 10.30am and admission is GBP 2, with accompanied under 14s free.
More details from Tony, G0JVI on 0774 000 3159.
On 25 November it's the 34th CATS Radio & Electronics Bazaar, held at
1st Coulsdon Scout HQ, at the rear of the Council Car Park, Lion
Green Road, Coulsdon, Surrey. Doors open from 10am to 1pm and
admission is GBP 1. There will be a Bring & Buy. Details from Glenn,
G4FVL, at chairman<at>catsradio.org.
Also on 25 November, the Plymouth Radio Club Rally will be held at
Harewood House, The Ridgeway, Plympton, Plymouth PL7 2AS. This is a
new venue for this event. Doors open at 10am and admission is GBP 2.
There will be trade stands, a Bring & Buy as well as a talk-in
station.
And now the DX news compiled from 425 DX News and other sources
HB9OAU will be on the air as 8Q7AU from the Maldives, IOTA reference
AS-013, between 26 November and 11 December. Activity will be holiday
style on 10 through to 80 metres, SSB only. QSL via his home
callsign, direct or by the bureau.
Dave, WJ2O will be active as 8P9DF from Barbados, which is IOTA
reference NA-021, from 20 to 28 November, including an entry in the
CQ WW DX CW Contest. He will operate almost entirely CW, with a focus
on 30, 17 and 12 metres outside the contest. QSl via his home
callsign.
UU5WW, UU0JR and UT5JCW will be active as 3W2J from Vietnam on 22 to
28 November. The main activity will be during the CQ WW DX CW
Contest; outside the contest they will operate CW, SSB and RTTY on
10, 15, 20, 40 and 80m. All of the QSOs will be confirmed
automatically via the bureau and LoTW. Direct cards via K2PF; an OQRS
will be provided by Club Log. Further information can be found at
www.3w2j.com.
Look for 9H3OG and 9H3TX to be active from Gozo, Malta, which is IOTA
reference EU-023, on 21 to 26 November. Their activity will include a
Multi-Two entry in the CQ WW DX CW Contest as 9H3TX. QSL via DL4HG
and DL5XAT respectively.
Prefix hunters should look out for the special Mongolian prefix of
JU850 until 21 November. The regular JT prefixes can be replaced to
celebrate the 850th birthday of Genghis Khan.
Now the contest news
The 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest takes place on 20 November from 2000
to 2230UTC. Using all modes the exchange is signal report, serial
number and locator.
The big event of the month will be the busiest, the CQWW DX CW. It
takes place for the full 48 hours of the weekend of the 24th and 25th
and invariably keeps the CW portions of the HF bands really busy,
especially any frequency where a DXpedition to a rarely activated
country operates. Notwithstanding solar outbursts, conditions on the
upper HF bands could be very good this year, so QSO totals for the
leading stations should be high. The exchange is signal report, and
CQ Zone, which for the UK is 14.
The final event is the UK Microwave Group's Low Band Contest, which
takes place on Sunday 25th. Because of the limited hours of daylight
at the end of November, please note that this session is two hours
shorter than the other three in the series. Running from 1000 to
1400UTC and using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial
number and locator.
And now the solar factual data for the period from Friday the 9th to
the 15th of November compiled by Neil Clarke, G0CAS on Friday the
16th of November.
Several large and complex sunspot groups were visible during the
period but only one produced any sizable solar flares. Solar activity
was low on the 9th and the 10th and again on the 15th. On the
remaining days activity increased to moderate levels and high on the
13th. The largest solar flare was a M6 that took place early on the
13th. Several coronal mass ejections took place but none were
directed towards Earth. Solar flux levels increased from 115 units on
the 9th to 146 by the 13th, levels then declined slightly to 141 by
the 15th. The average was 135 units. The 90 day solar flux average on
the 15th was 119 units, that's two units up on last week. X-ray flux
levels increased from B3.1 units on the 9th to B5.9 on the 12th. The
average was B4.6 units. Geomagnetic activity was very quiet until the
13th when an anticipated coronal hole disturbance arrived. The most
disturbed day was the 14th, with an Ap index of 31 units. The average
was Ap 9 units. Solar wind data from the ACE spacecraft saw solar
wind speeds increase from a slow 270 kilometres per second to 470 by
the 14th. Particle densities were low but increased to 77 particles
per cubic centimetre during the 12th. Bz varied between minus 1 and
plus 5 nanoTeslas on the quietest day and between minus 19 and plus
20 nanoTeslas during the disturbance. Auroral contacts were made on
50MHz but were confined to high latitudes late on the 13th and again
during the 14th. Daytime highs decreased by several MHz during the
disturbance.
And finally the solar forecast for the coming week. At first the
active side of the Sun will be looking our way but as the week
progresses it will rotate out of view. Solar activity is expected to
be low but there is a chance that activity could increase to moderate
levels, especially during the first half of the week. Solar flux
levels are expected to decline and be around the 120 mark by next
weekend. Geomagnetic activity is expected to be quiet every day,
however, there is a slight chance that a solar flare related coronal
mass ejection could head our way; if one does than activity would
increase. MUFs during daylight hours at equal latitudes should be
around or slightly exceed 30MHz during most days. Darkness hour lows
should be around 9MHz. Paths this week to the east coast of North
America should have a maximum usable frequency with a 50 per cent
success rate of around 29MHz. The optimum working frequency with a 90
per cent success rate should be about 24MHz. The best time to try
this path will be between 1400 and 1700 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 Thursday before transmission.
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