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G4TNU > NEWS 30.03.14 01:27l 283 Lines 14428 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday 30th March 2014
The news headlines:
* Summary of RSGB-Ofcom meeting published
* 1MHz more amateur spectrum likely at 2m
* D-Star repeater replaced by MotoRTBO in Dundee
RSGB Officers met with representatives of Ofcom on 15 March as part
of a regular series of discussions. Among the principal items on the
agenda were the review of amateur radio licence, the revalidation of
licences, VHF spectrum release proposals, amateur radio on the ISS
and the public sector spectrum release. For more details of the
discussions you can go to the RSGB website at www.rsgb.org and click
on the Ofcom-RSGB Forum link on the right hand side under the Latest
News heading. The next meeting is scheduled for 12 June.
Ofcom have published a consultation paper that makes proposals for
the release of VHF spectrum, including 146 to 147MHz for amateur
radio use on a temporary non-protected and non-interference basis.
Details of how the RSGB will formulate its response will follow. The
consultation is open until 26 May and can be viewed at
http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/vhf-143-169mhz/.
On 4 March the GB7DD D-Star repeater in Dundee was shut down due to
lack of use and has been replaced by a Motorola MotoTRBO DMR TDMA
digital voice repeater provided by Martin, MM0DUN. GB7DD is the first
DMR repeater on the air in Scotland and is a colour code 1 UHF
repeater on 439.6625MHz with a -9MHz split. See www.gb7dd.co.uk for
more information.
The RSGB has launched its 2014 Construction Competition, intended to
encourage home construction, experimentation, design and innovation.
Any RSGB Member is eligible to enter and there will be prizes in each
category. The overall winner will be awarded the new Pat Hawker G3VA
Trophy. Full details are online at
www.rsgb.org/constructioncompetition/.
In the news broadcast of 23 March we incorrectly stated that GB4IMD
would be active from Poldhu for International Marconi Day. GB4IMD is
the callsign of the Cornish Amateur Radio Club, who will be active
from Stithians Field on that Day. The Poldhu Amateur Radio Club will
be operating from the Marconi site at Poldhu for International
Marconi Day using their callsign GB2GM. We apologise for this
confusion. All stations planning to participate are urged to register
in advance. Full details are at www.gb4imd.com.
The European CW group is launching a new on-air game called Snakes
and Ladders from 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2015. It is designed to
promote activity on all bands and to encourage friendly contacts.
Everyone taking part will be acknowledged and any station submitting
six or more logs during the twelve months from April to March next
year can receive a certificate of participation. Full rules are
available in English and many other European languages from the
Snakes and Ladders web page at www.eucw.org/sl.html.
The BAA Radio Astronomy Group will be holding its 2014 General
Meeting on 17 May at the National Space Centre, Leicester, LE4 5NS.
This year there are two keynote speakers. Professor Paul Cannon will
address the issue of solar storms, their origin and consequences and
Dr Klaas Wiersema will describe how new radio telescope technologies
enable the exploration of the 'transient' radio universe, from the
mysterious millisecond duration fast radio bursts to the energetic
afterglows of gamma-ray bursts that are sometimes visible for years.
Other presentations include an ultra-low cost Hydrogen Line radio
telescope; the design of an Arduino-based magnetometer and
experiments with a small SDR radio telescope. Tickets are GBP 12 for
BAA members, GBP 15 for non-members, including free parking. Details
at www.britastro.org/radio/.
Amateur radio will have its own geostationary transponders on-orbit
by the end of 2016. This is thanks to the approval of a concept from
by the Qatar Amateur Radio Society to include a pair Phase 4 amateur
transponders part of the Qatar Satellite Company's new communications
satellite. It will carry a 250kHz wide linear transponder intended
for conventional analogue operations such as CW and SSB. Also on
board will be an 8MHz wide transponder to be used for experimental
digital modulation schemes and digital amateur television. Precise
operating frequencies remain to be finalised. Both of the
transponders will be feeding broad beam antennas to provide coverage
over about a third of the Earth's surface. This equates to Europe,
Africa, along with parts of South America and Asia.
Icom has published a firmware update for the IC-7700 that is free to
download. It follows a similar upgrade made to the IC-7800 last year
and is aimed at providing sharpened performance and a greater user
experience for operators. It can be downloaded from
www.icom.co.jp/world/support/download/firm.
Richard, G3CWI completed his 16th talk since last June at the Bolton
Wireless Club this week. If your club meets within a 2 hour drive of
Macclesfield, he would be happy to come along to speak. His talks
draw on his experience of portable operating from Antarctica to the
Andes and from Patagonia to Pacific islands. Details of how to book
are online at www.sotabeams.co.uk/book-a-club-talk/.
Radio amateurs in Thailand with a basic class licence have gained an
extension to the 2m band to 146.500MHz and now have access to 28 to
29.7MHz as well. They were previously restricted to 2m FM. The PDF of
the Thai regulators announcement can be downloaded from
http://tinyurl.com/pmc3s9p.
And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week
On 6 April, the 51st Northern Amateur Radio Societies Association
Exhibition will be held in the Norbreck Castle Exhibition Centre,
Blackpool FY2 9AA. Doors open at 10.30am, or 15 minutes earlier for
disabled visitors. There will be trade stands, a Bring and Buy,
special interest groups and an RSGB bookstall. Details from Dave,
M0OBW on 01270 761 608.
Also on 6 April, the Devon and Cornwall Repeater Group and Callington
ARS Rally will be held in the Callington Town Hall, New Road,
Callington PL17 7BD. Doors open at 10am. Information from Roger,
2E0RPH, by e-mail to 2e0rph<at>gmail.com.
Finally, for 6 April the Cambridge Repeater Group Rally will take
place at Foxton Village Hall, Hardman Road, Foxton, CB22 6RN. Doors
open at 7am for traders and 10am for visitors, with admission being
GBP 2. There will be trade stands and a Bring and Buy. Details from
Lawrence, M0LCM on 07941 972 724.
Regrettably, the decision has been taken to cancel the 6th South
Gloucestershire Amateur Radio Rally due to be held on 13 April, due
to the unfortunate clash of rally dates resulting in insufficient
table bookings to offer a worthwhile rally, combined with potential
bad weather causing site problems. A decision will taken in due
course on whether to hold a rally in 2015. Support given by traders
and the public to the South Gloucestershire Rally over the years is
greatly appreciated by the Rally organisers.
If you have any rally or event information you'd like to appear in
future editions of GB2RS News, in RadCom and on the RSGB website,
please e-mail details to GB2RS<at>rsgb.org.uk.
Now for the news of special events
Worcester Radio Amateur Association will put GB1PER on the air today,
30 March, for the annual Airfields on the Air operation. This will
take place in the grounds of the former Royal Air Force base at
Perdiswell, from where the Kings Flight was based during the Second
World War. GB1PER will be on the HF bands only. The club's 60 foot
tower will be in evidence on Bilford Road, putting Perdiswell
alongside more famous participating RAF stations such as Scampton,
Tangmere and Leeming. More details are on QRZ.com.
GB1BST, marking the start of British Summer Time, will be on the air
today, 30 March, from Mount St Bernard Abbey in Charnwood Forest,
Leicestershire (SK41). The abbey is home to a community of Cistercian
monks who have kindly given permission for the Special Event to
operate from the abbey lawn. The station will be operated by the
Phoenix Radio Group on the 40m, 20m and 2m bands plus others if
conditions allow.
Riviera ARC are planning to run a club station in support of RAFARS
Airfields on the Air event on 5 and 6 April. The intention is run
from the site of Little Haldon, outside Teignmouth, Devon, which was
a WW2 airfield, using the HF bands from 10 to 40m as well as 2m.
Dengie Hundred Amateur Radio Society will be active from Stow Maries
Aerodrome in Essex, using the call sign GB0SMA, for Airfields on the
Air next weekend. Stow Maries Aerodrome is one of the best preserved
World War One aerodromes in the UK, with 20 of the original buildings
still intact.
II1SWL will be on the air from 5 to 13 April using the HF, VHF and
UHF bands with SSB, CW and digital signals. It is to encourage those
new to amateur radio as either operators or listeners to take part in
the hobby. A special QSL card is available, either via the bureau or
direct to IW1EHL.
GB6RAF will be on the air from Rednal Air Field near Oswestry in
Shropshire on 5 and 6 April. It will be operated by RAF Air Cadets
from 2364 sqn (Welshpool), 2416 sqn (Newtown) and 1165 sqn
(Oswestry), along with cadets from a number of other squadrons from
around the region. The main operating band will be 7MHz with another
stations working on 14 and 21MHz as time allows. Many Cadets on air
will be new to amateur radio and it is hoped that this event will
spark interest in the hobby.
To commemorate the centenary of the 1914/1918 war, a special
activation will take place throughout 2014 in various departments of
France. Activity runs from 1 March 2014 until 31 December 2014.
Certificates are available for contacting the various stations.
Stations involved will have a TM callsign, such as TM02REF and
TM8FDA. More detail can be seen on QRZ.com under TM02REF.
And now the DX news compiled from 425 DX News and other sources
N7QT, AB1UH, W4VAB and N7UN will be operational as 5J0X from San
Andres Island, NA-033, between 2 and 14 April. Their activity will be
primarily holiday style on the 10 to 80m bands using CW, SSB and PSK.
QSL direct to N7QT.
A large group of operators will be active as DA0HEL from Helgoland
Island, EU-127, between 3 and 12 April. They plan to have 3 to 4
stations on the air but no bands nor operating times have been
announced. If you make contact, QSL to DF6QC via the bureau.
Guy, F5MNW will be active as FR/F5MNW from Reunion Island, AF-016,
until 8 April. He will operate CW only. QSL via his home callsign,
either direct or via the bureau.
Now the contest news
The SSB leg of CQWW WPX ends at 2359 today, the 30th. Everybody works
everybody, exchanging a report and serial number. Expect the
contesting bands between 1.8 and 28MHz to be heaving and some large
serial numbers to be exchanged.
On Tuesday the 144MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC.
Using all modes the exchange is signal report, serial number and
locator.
Next Sunday, 6 April, the first 70MHz contest runs from 0900 to
1200UTC. Using all modes on the band the exchange is signal report,
serial number and locator.
Also next Sunday the 1st RoPoCo takes place from 1900 to 2030UTC.
It's the SSB leg and the exchange is the signal report and the full
postcode received.
The SP DX Contest runs for 24 hours next weekend from 1500UTC on the
5th to 1500UTC on the 6th. In it there are numerous entry
categories, mainly for single ops. Multipliers in this one are the
sixteen Polish provinces that are given a single letter of the
alphabet for the purpose of this contest. The exchange is signal
report and serial number with SP station giving the single letter
Province code.
Now the solar report for the period from Friday 21st March to
Thursday 26th March, compiled by Martin Harrison, G3USF, on Friday
27th March.
Solar activity was low throughout the week. C-class solar flares were
reported every day, but there was only one smallish M-class flare.
The solar flux began the period at 153 units, rose slightly, and then
returned to 145, averaging 153. The 90-day average on the 27th stood
at 159 – two points up on the week. A coronal mass ejection
occurred on the 23rd, with the effects reaching Earth on the 25th,
but it struck only the lightest of glancing blows, scarcely showed up
on the daily Ap figures, and had a negligible effect on propagation.
Indeed the daily index reached double figures on just one day – the
21st, when it was 10. For the week as a whole the average was only a
modest 6.5 units. The X-ray flux showed little variation day-to-day,
averaging B6.2 – a slight decline. Solar wind speeds reported by
the ACE spacecraft ranged between 289km/sec on the 21st and 524km/sec
on the 25th. Particle densities were generally low, apart for a spike
to 10 particles per cubic centimetre on the 21st. Bz ranged between
plus 7 and minus 5 nanoTeslas. Overall, low geomagnetic activity and
relatively high solar flux levels made for consistently good
conditions on the HF bands.
Finally, the forecast for the week ahead. Solar activity is expected
to be low to moderate, with C-class flares on most days and the
occasional M-class flare. A major X-class flare looks unlikely, as
does any great increase in geomagnetic activity – though, as usual,
the possibility of an Earth-directed coronal mass ejection cannot be
dismissed. However, solar flux levels are expected to rise, possibly
reaching the 170s. Aided by seasonal factors, MUFs at equal latitudes
should again exceed 30MHz. Darkness lows are expected to be about
11MHz. Paths to India should have an MUF – that's a 50 per cent
chance of a contact – of 34MHz. The optimum working frequency, at
which there should be a 90 percent chance of success, will be 28MHz.
The path should be best between 0900 and 1400UTC.
And that's all for another 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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