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G4TNU > NEWS 12.01.14 01:26l 194 Lines 9750 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 12 Jan 2014
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday 12th January 2014
The news headlines:
* Happy New Year from GB2RS
* Centenary Award plaque deadline looms
* Register now for Advanced Distance Learning course
The news team and all the staff at RSGB HQ would like to wish our
newsreaders, listeners and online readers a very Happy New Year. We
would like to remind listeners that the deadline for news items is
10am on Thursday mornings and we welcome your news every week, to
gb2rs<at>rsgb.org.uk. The GB2RS script is uploaded to the RSGB
website on Friday afternoons.
Award chasers are reminded to submit their applications for the RSGB
Centenary Award. Although there is no deadline for applying for your
Centenary Award certificate, you are reminded that Special
Commemorative Plaques will be awarded to the leading Full UK,
Intermediate or Foundation amateur licence holders, leading SWL and
leading overseas station, who have the highest overall scores,
submitted by 2359UTC on 31st January 2014. Further information,
including the application form and check sheet downloads, can be
found at www.rsgb.org/centenaryclaim.
The Bath-based Advanced Distance Learning team start their next
course on the 23rd of January. There are still places available for
anyone looking to sit the Advanced exam in July. Weekly work packages
are emailed to students to guide them through the Advanced textbook
and remote tutor support is provided in small groups. The team have
an average pass rate of 90% and they have had nearly 200 passes in
the last three years. If you would like further details on how to
join the course, please contact Steve Hartley, G0FUW, via email to
g0fuw<at> tiscali.co.uk.
The FUNcube-1 or AO-73 amateur radio satellite has been in orbit for
more than six weeks and things are going well. There is now a way to
view the latest AO-73 high resolution data that has been uploaded to
the FUNcube Data Warehouse. A link can be found in the Navigation Bar
on the warehouse. Clicking on this link will make the high resolution
data available to download as .csv files, go to
tinyurl.com/funcube-telemetry-dashboard. The telemetry downlink
frequency is 145.935MHz and data is transmitted in BPSK format.
FUNcube also carries a CW and SSB inverting transponder. The uplink
pass band is from 435.150 to 435.130MHz LSB, with a downlink from
145.950 to 145.970MHz on USB.
The Spanish PTT has authorised the use of several frequencies in the
5MHz band from 1st January to 30th June 2014. The authorised
frequencies are 5268, 5295, 5313, 5382, 5430 and 5439kHz, with a
power of 100W PEP. Unfortunately none of these frequencies coincide
with the UK 5MHz frequency allocations. The first 4 channels are very
close to our allocation; the last 2 are well above. The frequencies
announced are channel centres, so USB dial frequency will be 1.5kHz
lower. Please note that if UK operators respond to calls on these
frequencies, they will be operating out of band.
A limited number of Czech radio amateurs will be returning to the
5MHz band and the permits will be valid until the end of 2014. Those
Czech amateurs issued with one of these special permits will be
allowed to use six channels that are common to many other nations.
These are 5288.5, 5330.5, 5366.5, 5371.5, 5398.5 and 5403.5kHz.
Transmissions are limited to upper sideband and CW only at a power
level of 100 watts effective radiated power.
SOS Radio Week organisers have had some difficulty with the
registration page on their website for the event that runs from 19 to
25 January. To date 27 registrations have been successfully received,
but it seems there may be more. If you have attempted to register and
you have not received any login details, please contact the
organisers. All details on the event can be found at
www.sosradioweek.org.uk.
Members of the UK CubeSat community have established a forum for UK
nanosatellite or CubeSat stakeholders. The UK Space Agency and two
radio amateurs sit on the organising committee. The UK Space Agency's
first CubeSat, UKube-1, will carry an amateur radio transponder and
is expected to launch this year. You can follow the work of the forum
and respond to requests for views at www.cubesatforum.org.uk/.
And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week
Today, 12th January 2014, the red Rose Winter Rally takes place in
the George H Carnall Leisure Centre, Kingsway Park, M41 7FJ. The
venue is easily accessible from M60 junction 9. Doors open at 11am
and there will be trade stands and a Bring and Buy as well as an RSGB
bookstall. Details can be obtained from John on 07840 389 427.
On 19th January, the Chippenham & District ARC mini indoor rally will
be held in the Neston Village Hall, Pool Green, Neston, Corsham,
Wiltshire SN13 9SN. Doors open at 10m and admission is GBP 1.50.
Tables for sellers are GBP 5 pre-booked. Email
g0iue<at>btinternet.com for full details.
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
For those interested in football, Portuguese radio amateurs will be
operating the special event callsign CS2EUSEBIO around the country in
memory of the footballer Eusebio. QSLing is via the bureau.
And now the DX news compiled from 425 DX News and other sources
AF1G is now living and working on Andros Island, which is IOTA
reference NA-011, signing /C6A. He will be there until 20th November
and is expected to be on the 6 to 80m bands using SSB. QSL via
Logbook of the World or direct to Tim Hardy, PSC 1012 Box 593, FPO AA
34058-9998, USA.
JA3ARJ and JA1CJA will be active as TO3JA from Martinique, NA-017,
between 12th and 19th January. QSL via JA3AVO, direct, by the bureau
or Logbook of the World.
Joe Musachia, W5FJG, has been assigned to the Amundsen-Scott South
Pole Station and will be operating from KC4AAA, the amateur radio
station there. He will operate SSB only on weekdays and some
weekends, through the winter season until November 2014. Almost all
activity is currently on 20 meters on or near 14.243MHz. QSL to Larry
Skilton, K1IED.
Francis, F6BLP will be active again as 6W7SK from Senegal until 31st
January. He will operate mainly CW on the 10 to 80m bands. QSL via
his home callsign either direct or via the bureau, Logbook of the
World and eQSL. See more at www.f6blp.org.
Now the contest news
The CW AFS takes place on Sunday 12th from 1400 to 1800UTC with the
SSB event six days later on Saturday 18th at the same time. Because
twilight occurs about half way through them, propagation at the end
can be expected to be nothing like it is at the start. At the start
signals from around the UK should be strong and Continentals
relatively weak, but by the end it is not unusual for inter-UK
propagation to be difficult and for Continentals to be much stronger.
Using the 80m band, the exchanges for both events is signal report
and serial number.
On 14th January the 432MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to
2230UTC. Using all modes the exchange is signal report, serial number
and locator.
Now the solar factual data for the period from Friday the 14th of
December to Thursday the 9th of January, compiled by Neil Clarke,
G0CAS on Friday the 10th of January.
Solar activity for the last three weeks was low on most days,
moderate on some days and high on the occasional day. Solar activity
was high on the 1st and the 7th of January. An X1 class solar flare
took place on the 7th, this was the first X class flare since the
19th of November last year. Solar flux levels initially declined
slight lower than forecast, reaching 116 units on Boxing Day and then
climbed higher than forecast to peak at 237 units, that's the highest
daily figure for this sunspot cycle and also since August 2002. By
the 9th levels had declined to 184. The 90 day solar flux average on
the 9th was 152 units, which is also the highest for this cycle.
X-ray flux levels increased from B3.5 units at the end of the year to
C1.8 units by the 5th of January. Geomagnetic activity was quiet
every day except for the 1st and 2nd of January which increased to an
Ap index of 15 and 18 respectively. That was the only coronal hole
disturbance to take place.
Finally, the solar forecast for the coming week. While the large
sunspot region is still in view that rotated into view on the 1st
solar activity could be at moderate to high levels, however, as the
region rotates out of view towards next weekend solar activity is
expected to decline to low levels. Solar flux levels should decline
to around 130 units. Geomagnetic activity is expected to be at low
levels unless an Earth directed coronal mass ejection increases
activity. No coronal hole disturbances are expected. MUFs during
daylight hours at equal latitudes should be around or slightly above
30MHz. Darkness hour lows should be about 8MHz. Paths this week to
the Middle East should have a maximum usable frequency with a 50 per
cent success rate of around 30MHz. The optimum working frequency with
a 90 per cent success rate will be about 25MHz. The best time to try
this path will be between 0900 and 1500 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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