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GB2RS
NEWS BROADCAST
Good morning / evening. It's Sunday the 22nd of
November [1998] and here is the GB2RS news broadcast,
prepared by the RSGB and intended for all radio amateurs
and short-wave listeners.
Last week’s Leonids meteor showers resulted in
some spectacular signals on VHF. Geoff Brown, GJ4ICD,
reported that MS activity peaked in Europe between zero
hundred and 0400UTC of the 17th. He said that,
‘signals were so good many thought they had
night-time Es!’ He added that ionisation burns were
very long and were ‘obviously due to the massive
number of meteors arriving in the atmosphere, confusing
many that they were Es’. In Japan the results were
reported as poor.
Meanwhile, in South Africa, conditions were not as good
as anticipated. Hal, ZS6WB, reported that after a
‘fantastic morning opening on the 17th’,
conditions turned out to be a ‘total washout’,
with only a few very brief periods of MS propagation.
RSGB members are reminded that
ballot papers for the Council Election must reach RSGB HQ
no later than noon this coming Friday, the 27th of
November.
And the RSGB’s Annual General Meeting takes place at
2pm on Saturday the 5th of December at the Royal Society
of Chemistry’s Scientific Lecture Theatre, New
Burlington Place, in London. Doors open at 12 noon.
Everyone is welcome to attend the AGM, although only
current RSGB members may vote. A map showing the location
of the venue can be found in the November issue of
RadCom.
Immediately after this year’s AGM - at the same
venue - an informal reception will be hosted by the
RSGB’s incoming President, Hilary Claytonsmith,
G4JKS. This will take place from 4.30 to 6.30pm. Those
wishing to attend the reception should send a stamped,
addressed envelope to Fay Huxley at RSGB HQ, requesting
complimentary tickets. Tickets will be issued on a
‘first come’ basis.
The London Amateur Radio and
Computer Show Two takes place next weekend, the 28th and
29th of November, at the Lee Valley Leisure Centre,
Picketts Lock Lane, Edmonton, in north London. There will
be a large trade show, a bring and buy sale, along with
national society, local club and special interest group
stands. Doors open at 10am, or 9.30am for disabled
visitors. Talk-in is on 145.550MHz and 433.550MHz. For
further details telephone 01 923 893 929. For directions
of how to get to the venue visit the web site
www.radiosport.co.uk
An unexpected opening occurred on 50MHz on Sunday the
15th when Geoff, GJ4ICD, managed to make a contact with
E30GA, the Space A DXpedition Group in Eritrea, via CW.
This marks GJ4ICD’s 166th country on the band.
A new world distance record for the
136kHz LF band was set last weekend when Steve Rawlings,
GW4ALG, worked OH1TN at a distance of 1,916km. GW4ALG
used 400 watts of CW to a 45ft vertical antenna to make
the contact.
The Radio Society of Thailand has been asked to
provide back-up support to the Communications Authority
of Thailand during the Asian Games. A nationwide network
will be set up using HF, mainly 7060kHz SSB plus the two
metre band, and packet. The event is being held in
Thailand from the 6th to the 20th of December, and 43
countries will be taking part. Special event station
HS98AG will be operational during the Games.
Hilderstone Radio Society and the Thanet Radio Group
will be activating GB2NFL from North Foreland Lighthouse,
in Kent, from the 26th to the 29th of November. The
station marks the automation of North Foreland,
England’s last remaining manned lighthouse. For more
details contact Chris, G0VUT, on 01 843 603 065.
Leeds and District Amateur Radio
Society has cancelled its Christmas Rally which was due
to take place on the 13th of December. For further
information contact M1ASR whose address is correct in the
RSGB Yearbook.
And now an announcement about the GB2RS news
broadcasts over the Christmas and New Year holiday
period. GB2RS will be broadcast on Sunday as normal, but
please note that the deadline for contributions for the
broadcasts on the 20th and 27th of December broadcasts is
noon on Tuesday the 15th of December. There will be no
GB2RS broadcast on the 3rd of January. Things return to
normal the following week, with a Tuesday midday deadline
for the broadcast on Sunday the 10th of January.
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DX News:
From Tromelin, FR5ZQ/T is once more operational, using
SSB. The length of his stay is not known. This counts as
AF-031 for the RSGB Islands on the Air Award.
From Micronesia, V63HO, V63HC and V63YP are active from
the 22nd to the 30th of November from Pohnpei Island
using CW, SSB and RTTY. This counts as OC-010 for IOTA.
And from Turks and Caicos Island, VP5/K5GN will be active
from the 24th of November until the 1st of December,
including the WARC bands on request. This counts as
NA-002 for IOTA.
These DX news items came from the weekly RSGB DX News
Sheet, edited by Chris Page, G4BUE.
Contest News:
There are no RSGB HF contests this weekend. Next weekend,
the CQ World Wide DX CW contest runs for 48 hours from
zero hundred hours UTC on Saturday the 28th of November.
The contest exchange is an RST signal report and the CQ
zone, and Great Britain is zone 14.
On Wednesday the 25th of November the fourth session of
the RSGB 432MHz Cumulative Contest takes place between
2000 and 2230UTC.
The fifth session of the 1.3 / 2.3GHz Cumulative Contest
takes place on Monday the 30th of November from 2000 to
2230UTC.
The full rules of all RSGB contests may be found in the
September 1997 RadCom.
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PROPAGATION
NEWS
{{Newsreaders: The historical Solar Factual Data to be
read only by HF newsreaders. VHF / UHF newsreaders: you
may read this section after the Regional News, providing
you do not exceed your 30 minute time-slot.}}
And now the solar factual data for the period from the
9th to the 15th of November, compiled by Neil Clarke,
G0CAS:
Solar activity was low but increased to moderate on the
10th, 11th and the 12th. The largest solar flare of the
week was a M1/1N on the 12th. Solar flux levels declined
from 162 on the 9th to 126 by the 15th. The average was
142. The 90 day solar flux average on the 15th was 132,
the same level as last week. X-Ray flux levels also
declined from C1.5 on the 9th to B4.5 by the 15th. The
average was B9.1. Geomagnetic activity started at 'major
storm' levels with an Ap index of 78. Activity quickly
declined to 'quiet' levels by the next day. Activity
remained 'quiet' until the 13th when 'major storm'
conditions took place again with an Ap of 60. Levels
subsided to 'active' on the 14th and 'unsettled' on the
15th. The average was Ap 26 units. Solar wind data saw
solar wind speeds vary between 320 and 480 kilometres per
second. Particle densities were low, except for the 9th
and 13th, which saw densities at 20 and 31 particles per
cubic metre respectively. Bz fluctuated between minus 15
and plus 12 nanoTeslas on the 9th and between minus 21
and plus 5 nanoTeslas on the 13th and 14th.
Now the ionospheric data. The F2 daytime critical
frequencies at Chilton, Oxfordshire, increased from
10.4MHz on the 9th to 12.4MHz by the 13th. Levels then
declined to 9.4MHz on the 15th, due to the ionospheric
storm. The average was 10.7MHz. The darkness hour lows
varied little and averaged 2MHz. The daytime highs took
place between 1100 and 1400UTC.
{{Newsreaders: The Solar Forecast to be read by ALL
newsreaders.}}
And now the solar forecast. This week the quieter side
of the sun is expected to be looking our way. Solar
activity is expected to be low. Very low levels could
take place, more especially during the next few days.
Solar flux levels should be just above the 100 mark, but
start to increase by next weekend. Geomagnetic activity
is expected to be mostly 'quiet' to 'unsettled'. MUFs
during daylight hours at equal latitudes are expected to
be above 30MHz. The darkness hour lows should be around
9MHz. The daytime highs should take place around midday
and the darkness hour lows should take place just before
sunrise. Paths this week to the east coast of North
America should have a maximum usable frequency, with a 50
per cent success rate of 30MHz. However, the optimum
working frequency with a 90 per cent success rate will be
about 24MHz. The best time to try this path will be
between 1300 and 1600UTC. And that's the end of the solar
information.
For more on propagation see
http://www.rsgb.org/society/psc.htm
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