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G4TNU > NEWS 28.07.13 07:05l 274 Lines 13763 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 28 Jul 2013
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday 28th July 2013
The news headlines:
* IOTA Contest concludes
* Record entries for Lighthouse Weekend
* Amateur satellite to launch in October
The annual Islands on the Air contest finishes today at 1200UTC. This
year a special Centenary Commemorative Certificate is available.
Everyone who enters and submits a log of 100 contest QSOs along with
20 multipliers will be eligible. Details can be found at
www.rsgbcc.org/hf/rules/2013/riota.shtml. The IOTA Contest is also an
opportunity to gain some points towards your HF Centenary Award.
The number of online registrations for the International Lighthouse
and Lightship Weekend on 17 and 18 August stands at 350, setting the
scene for another record year. In the lead is Germany on 53, just
ahead of Australia with 52. Those arch rivals are followed by the USA
with 40, 31 from England, 21 in Argentina and a lot of late interest
from Malaysia and Sweden, both with 15 registrations. So far,
portable amateur radio stations are lined up in 34 countries. Details
on the website at http://illw.net
The UKube-1 CubeSat, which will carry an amateur radio transponder as
part of its payload, could launch in late October. It will carry a
set of AMSAT-UK designed FUNcube-2 boards. These will provide the
amateur radio community with a 70cm up and 2m downlink linear
transponder for SSB/CW operation, plus a 1200 bps BPSK telemetry
beacon on 145.915MHz.
G100RSGB, the special event callsign celebrating the RSGB Centenary
will be operated today and tomorrow by Loughton & Epping Forest ARS
from Old Harlow. They will run the station on the 80 to 6m bands as
well as 2m and 70cm using SSB and FM. On Tuesday until next Sunday,
North Norfolk ARG will run the station from Weybourne on the 80 to 6m
bands as well as 2m using SSB, CW & FM. Details of how to get your
QSL card are on the RSGB website, www.rsgb.org.uk, under the
Operating drop down menu, clicking on Centenary Station.
A part of the computer log for the Colchester ARS operation of
G100RSGB on 20 and 21 July has irretrievably been lost due to a
catastrophic computer problem. About 140 contacts are involved.
Attempts at data recovery have proved unsuccessful. This will mean
loss of credits for the Centenary Award and the Leaderboard; for
those affected, our advice is that they seek to re-make contacts with
the remaining stations in the Region 12 schedule.
RSGB General Manager Graham Coomber, G0NBI gave a presentation at the
International Space Colloquium last weekend. His presentation was
very well received by those attending the Colloquium as well as the
many who watched it via the web. Thanks to the British Amateur
Television Club the presentation is now available in their video
archive. The direct link to view the video online is
www.batc.tv/streams/amsat1309.
Ofcom has published a call for input on the possibility of developing
new spectrum planning models, tools and services for UHF and VHF
spectrum. The switchover from analogue to digital TV, the
introduction of new services such as 4G in 800MHz and the development
of innovative new technologies like white space devices are placing
new demands on this spectrum. As a result, Ofcom has decided to
review the frequency planning and spectrum management information
needed to ensure that the spectrum continues to be used as
efficiently as possible, while ensuring the protection of the
services that use it.
On 23 July at 1634UTC, DK3WN received signals from the UK STRaND-1
satellite after a near 4 month absence. Built by volunteers from the
Surrey Space Centre and SSTL in Guildford, it was launched on 25
February and was the world's first smartphone CubeSat to be put into
orbit. STRaND-1 unexpectedly stopped transmitting on 30 March and
radio amateurs around the world have been listening for it on
437.568MHz ± 10kHz Doppler ever since. Radio amateurs are requested
to e-mail reports of reception of telemetry data from STRaND-1 to
C.P.Bridges<at>surrey.ac.uk.
And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week
Today, the Horncastle Summer Rally will take place at 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.
Next Sunday, 4 August, the 24th King's Lynn ARC Rally & Car Boot Sale
will be held at the Gaywood Community Centre, PE30 4DZ. Doors open at
10am and admission is GBP 2. There will be trade stands and car boot
pitches. Talk in is available on S20. More details from Ray, G3RSV on
01553 849 700.
Also on Sunday 4 August the South Manchester Radio Club Car Boot Sale
will be held at Trafford Metrovicks Rugby and Cricket Club, Finnybank
Road, Sale, Cheshire M33 6LR. Admission is GBP 1, and the gates open
at 9.30am. Talk in will be on S22. Details from Terry Baily, G6CRF by
e-mail at Terry.Baily<at>gmx.com.
If you have any rally or event information you'd like to appear in
future editions of the News and in RadCom, please email details to
GB2RS<at>rsgb.org.uk.
Now for the news of special events
Grimsby ARS will be running GB4CFF for the Cleethorpes Air Show on 27
and 28 July from 8.30am to 5pm on both days. They plan to have HF,
VHF and UHF stations running data, SSB and possibly CW. The ATV
section of the club are planning on feeding the action live to the
Grimsby repeater and over the net.
The RAF Amateur Radio Society will be running GB2VET for its third
and final day today at the East Park, Holderness Road, Hull as part
of Veteran's Awareness Weekend. They are also displaying vintage WW2
radio transmitting and receiving equipment. Admission is free to the
general public.
South Tyne Side Amateur Radio Society will be operating GB1SLB from
RNLI Station the Block Yard Sunderland on Sunday 4 August for a
Fundraising day in aid of Sunderland RNLI. Starting at 1am, the
station will be active on all HF bands.
GB75RH will be active from the International Scout and Guide Camp in
the Walesby Forest Scout Activity Centre in Sherwood Forest until 3
August. Activity is to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the site's
acquisition by the City of Nottingham Scouts. Amateur radio has long
featured in these camps, which are usually held every 4 or 5 years,
and this year a station was again one of the many activities
available to the young people attending the camp. With a large
international team of 17 operators, the stations will be able to
demonstrate the best of amateur radio to the many young visitors
attending. Amateur radio expanded the international nature of the
camp with 5 HF stations operating on all bands from 80-10 metres,
plus one station operating on 6m and 2m. QSL via the bureau or direct
to G0GDU.
And now the DX news compiled from 425 DX News and other sources
Down in Australia, this winter's Bogong High Plains Winter Trip will
run from 5 to 9 August. Heading out across the snowy wilderness, a
team of amateurs and friends will ski through some of Australia's
most stunning alpine landscapes. The group will be led by VK3GT,
VK3FMAW and VK3SN up onto mountain plateaus that sit at well over
1800m ASL. Using ultra light solar powered gear, these back country
skiers will be active on 40m each afternoon and 80m every evening.
Other HF bands will be activated according to conditions. See
www.vk3sn.net for further details.
MJ/OT9Z will be active from Jersey, EU-013, from 2 to 9 August from
the JARS Headquarter. Using the 10 to 160m bands plus 6m they will be
using CW, RTTY, PSK and SSB. More information can be found at
www.dxpeditionchannelislands.weebly.com.
Andrea, IZ2LSC will be active as XF3/IZ2LSC from Isla Mujeres,
NA-045, until 31 July. QSL is direct via EB7DX, through the bureau
via IZ2LSC or Logbook of The World.
Herbert, DL7AHF and Michael, DG8MH will be active as 8Q7HF and 8Q7MH
from the Maldives, AS-103, until 11 August. Their activity on 40, 20,
15, and 10m will not include the contest. QSLs via their home
callsigns either direct or via the bureau.
Paul, M3KBU will be active from South Uist Island, EU-010, as
MM3KBU/P until 2 August. QSLs via his home callsign, direct only.
Ulf, DL3UB will be on the Faroe Islands, EU-018, until 9 August and
will operate as OY/DL3UB. On the air using mainly CW on the WARC
bands, you can QSL via DL3UB either direct or via the bureau.
Ray, PE1GUR, will be QRV from Ameland, EU-038, until 10 August as
PA6FUN. He will operate 2m only in CW and SSB. QSL via PE1GUR, direct
only.
Now the contest news
The Centenary IOTA Contest ends at 1200UTC today, 28th July. There
are 12- and 24-hour categories. The IOTA Reference is part of the
exchange, the one for mainland Britain being EU-005 and mainland
Ireland being EU-115. The exchange is signal report, serial number
and IOTA reference.
The UK Microwave Group 5.7 to 24GHz contest takes place today from
0600 to 1800UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report,
serial number and locator.
The 70MHz UK Activity Contest takes place on Tuesday from 1900 to
2130UTC. Using all modes the exchange is signal report, serial number
and locator.
On VHF, the first weekend of August is devoted to low power
operation. It begins with the 4th 144MHz Backpacker Contest on
Saturday the 3rd. As per usual there are 3 watt ‘Backpacker' and 10
watt ‘Hilltopper' sections. Running from 1300 to 1700UTC, the
exchange is signal report serial number, locator and postcode.
Overlapping it time-wise, the 144MHz Low Power Contest runs for eight
hours. In this event the maximum permitted power is 25 watts. Running
from 1400 to 2000UTC on Saturday, the exchange is signal report
serial number, locator and postcode.
Also next Sunday the 432MHz Low Power Contest takes place.
Traditionally some of the stations who operate portable in the 144MHz
Low Power make a weekend of it by camping overnight, changing
antennas and taking part in a second contest the following day. Once
again the maximum permitted power is 25 watts. Taking place from 0800
to 1200UTC, the exchange is signal report serial number, locator and
postcode.
RoPoCo 2 is the first HF contest of the month, taking place on 4
August from 0700 to 0830UTC. This is the CW leg. To make a good score
you have to be really careful to copy the postcode received precisely
and then pass it on to your next contact as received, even if you
know it to be wrong. The exchange is signal report and full postcode
as received.
Also taking place next Sunday is the Microwave Field Day, running
from 0900 to 1700UTC. Using the 1.3 and 10GHz bands the exchange is
signal report, serial number and locator.
And now the solar factual data for the period from Friday the 19th to
Thursday the 25th of July compiled by Neil Clarke, G0CAS on Friday
the 26th of July.
No large complex sunspot groups were visible during the period and as
a result solar activity was low on four days and very low on the
three remaining days. Some of the smaller groups produced a total of
nine low strength C class solar flares. Solar flux levels declined
slightly from 114 units on the 19th to 107 by the 23rd. The average
was 110 units. The 90 day solar flux average on the 25th was 121
units, that's the same level as last week. X-ray flux levels declined
from B3.4 units on the 19th to B2.5 by the 23rd. The average was B2.9
units. Geomagnetic activity started at unsettled levels due to a
smaller than anticipated coronal hole. The Ap index on the 19th was
17 units. Activity quickly declined to quiet levels until midday on
the 25th when another coronal hole disturbance arrived and the Ap for
the 25th was 14 units. The average was Ap 8 units. Solar wind data
from the ACE spacecraft saw solar wind speeds decline from 670
kilometres per second on the 19th to 300 by the morning of the 25th
before wind speeds increased to 520 kilometres per second due to the
second coronal hole. Particle densities were low except for the 25th
that increased to 42 particles per cubic centimetre during the
afternoon. Bz varied between minus 3 and plus 2 nanoTeslas on the
quietest day and between minus 12 and plus 5 nanoTeslas on the 25th.
Several days saw sporadic-E up to 70MHz. The peak of this summer's
season as now past and opening up to 144MHz are unlikely.
And finally the solar forecast for the coming week. This week the
active side of the Sun is expected to rotate into view. Solar
activity is expected to be low but could increase to moderate levels
on some days later in the week. Solar flux levels should increase and
be in the 130's later in the week. Geomagnetic activity should be
mostly quiet. No coronal hole disturbances are expected, however, an
Earth-directed coronal mass ejection would increase activity. MUFs
during daylight hours at equal latitudes should be around 23MHz for
the south and 20MHz for the north. Darkness hour lows should be about
13MHz. Paths this week to the Middle East should have a maximum
usable frequency with a 50 per cent success rate of around 21MHz. The
optimum working frequency with a 90 per cent success rate will be
about 16MHz. The best time to try this path will be between 1100 and
1700 hours UTC. Sporadic-E is expected to take place on some days.
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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