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GB2RS
NEWS BROADCAST
Good morning / evening. It's Sunday the 24th of
January [1999] and here is the GB2RS news broadcast,
prepared by the RSGB and intended for all radio amateurs
and short-wave listeners.
This weekend sees the last opportunity to work the
multi-national DXpedition to Campbell Island, ZL9CI,
which is due to remain on the air until today, Sunday the
24th. By Wednesday the 20th of January - as this GB2RS
script was being collated - the team had amassed more
than 76,000 QSOs. The group, which includes Andrew
Williamson, GI0NWG, and Declan Craig, EI6FR, among its
members, has up to six stations operating simultaneously.
For further information about ZL9CI visit the ZL9CI web
site at: www.qsl.net/zl9ci, all in lower case letters.
More details can also be found in the February issue of
RadCom, which is due to be posted to all RSGB members
this week.
Last weekend, the 16th and 17th of
January, amateurs attempted to span the Atlantic on
136kHz. Members of the Amateur Radio Research and
Development Corporation set up a multi-receiver listening
station at Nag’s Head, North Carolina, to log LF
broadcast and commercial stations from Europe and Africa.
They also listened on the 136kHz band for amateurs and
made a number of recordings for later computer analysis.
About a dozen stations, running between half and one watt
ERP, participated from the UK, Finland, Belgium, Italy,
Ireland and Switzerland. Some were using normal CW,
whilst others used extremely slow Morse with, dots
several seconds long, for DSP-aided reception. Early
indications are that, although European broadcasters were
heard, no amateur transmissions were received.
This is the first of several tests and, since many
European contacts have been made at just under 2000km, it
may well be that amateur LF signals will be heard across
the pond during the next 12 months.
Staying with LF, we have the good
news that German amateurs are now permitted to use the
136kHz band. Although a specially licensed station -
DA0LF - made some of the first ever transmissions on the
band, this licence was withdrawn several months ago and
Germans have had to be content with listening.
The RSGB has organised a regional
meeting for amateur radio groups providing emergency
communications. The meeting will take place on Saturday
the 6th of February, between 10am and 4pm, at the Cardiff
City Council Headquarters, Atlantic Wharf, Cardiff Bay,
Cardiff.
The meeting is open to all members within a reasonable
travelling distance. The Council Headquarters can be
reached by following the A4232 off Junction 33 of the M4.
The road leads directly to the building. There is plenty
of parking, and access by public transport. Teas and
coffee will be available but lunch is not available on
site.
All attendees should have appropriate identification and
will be required to sign in. Please contact Simon Lloyd
Hughes, GW0NVN, as soon as possible with numbers and
details. Simon can be contacted on
01 446 743 370, after 4pm, or by e-mail at:
derlo@rsgb.org.uk
Other regional meetings are scheduled to take place
around the country during 1999, and details of these will
be reported in GB2RS as soon as they are known.
A new RSGB QSL Sub Manager has been
appointed for the G0JAA to JZZ series. He is Barry Addis,
M0ART, and his address is: 30 Deneside, Seghill,
Cramlington NE23 7ER, and his telephone number is: 01 912
374 554.
Tonight’s BBC World Service
programme ‘Waveguide’ will include an item on
the special event station which marked the closure of
coastal radio station Scheveningen {{pronounced
Skave-en-in-gen}} Radio, PCH, in Holland. There will also
be mention of a similar event being organised in April in
the UK by David Barlow, G3PLE. The programme, which is
presented by Richard Lambley, G8LAM, can be heard
tonight, Sunday the 24th, at 2105UTC on 3.955, 6.195 and
9.41MHz, and also in the south east of England on 648kHz
medium wave.
The annual Guides Thinking Day on
the Air takes place over the weekend of the 20th and 21st
of February. A pack is available from the RSGB containing
a list of participating special event stations. If you
would like a pack, send an SASE - an A4 size envelope
with 38p in stamps - to Catherine Liston at RSGB
Headquarters.
Ursuline College Radio Club will be operating the
special event call GB2STA on Wednesday, the 27th of
January, the mark the Feast Day of St Angela. She founded
the Ursuline order in 1535, after St Ursula, the
patroness of youth. For more details contact John, G7OHO,
on 01 843 603 981.
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DX News:
DX News:
From Marquesas Island, FO0AWI and FO0XUU will be
operational from Nuka Hiva until the 30th of January,
mostly using CW on 10 to 160 metres. They will also be
using some RTTY and SSTV. This counts as OC-027 for the
RSGB Islands On The Air Award Programme.
From Solomon Island, H44MS will be active from the 24th
to the 27th of January, using CW mainly on 30 to 160
metres, and some SSB.
From Temotu Island, H40FN will be operational from the
28th of January until the 6th of February, using CW
mainly on 30 to 160 metres. This counts as OC-065 for
IOTA.
And from Ecuador, HC/DL6FBK will be active until the 3rd
of February, using CW and SSB on 10, 15, 20 and 40
metres.
These DX news items came from the weekly RSGB DX News
Sheet, edited by Chris Page, G4BUE.
Contest News:
There are three sessions in the RSGB LF Cumulative
contests this week. On Thursday the 28th of January, the
session is on 160 metres CW between 2000 and 2200UTC. On
Saturday the 30th, there is a 40 metre session on CW
between 1000 and 1200UTC, whilst on Sunday the 31st there
is an 80 metre session on CW between 1600 and 1800UTC.
Next weekend, the CW leg of the CQ World Wide 160 metre
DX Contest takes place. The contest starts at 2200UTC on
Friday the 29th and lasts until 1600UTC on Sunday the
31st.
And on VHF, the second session of the RSGB 70MHz
Cumulatives takes place next Sunday, the 31st of January,
from 1000 until 1230UTC.
The full rules of all RSGB contests may be found in the
October 1998 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
11th to the 17th of January, compiled by Neil Clarke,
G0CAS:
Solar activity was low, but between the 14th and the 16th
activity increased to moderate. The largest flare of the
week was a M3/SN on the 14th. Solar flux levels increased
every day from 112 on the 11th to 161 by the 17th. The
average was 136. The 90 day solar flux average on the
17th was 138 - that's the same level as last week. X-Ray
flux levels also increased as the sun became more active.
Levels increased from B2 on the 11th to B7.4 by the 17th,
the average was B4.8. Geomagnetic activity started at
'quiet' levels but increased to 'active' on the 13th and
the 14th, with an Ap index of 28 on both days. The
probable cause for this disturbance was a disappearing
filament on the 9th. Solar wind data from the ACE
spacecraft saw solar wind speeds below 500 kilometres per
second. However, speeds increased to above 500 kilometres
per second from the 14th to the end of the period.
Particle densities were below 10 particles per cubic
centimetre except for the 13th which increased to 43. Bz
varied between minus 10 and plus 10 nanoTeslas except for
the 13th and the 14th which had fluctuations to minus 18
and plus 12 nanoTeslas.
Now the ionospheric data for Chilton, southern England.
Levels increased slightly to 8.9MHz early in the
afternoon on the 13th. With the aurora taking place later
that day levels collapsed. On the 14th only 6.2MHz was
recorded but levels then increased to 9.4MHz by the 17th.
The average was 8.7MHz. The darkness hour low averaged
2.2MHz and varied little.
{{Newsreaders: The Solar Forecast to be read by ALL
newsreaders.}}
And now the solar forecast. At the start of this week
the active side of the sun is expected to be rotating
away as the quieter side of the sun comes into view.
Solar activity may be moderate at first but then decline
to low levels from midweek. Solar flux levels should
decline and be around the 120s by next weekend.
Geomagnetic activity could be 'unsettled' for the next
couple of days, but then decline to 'quiet' levels for
the remainder of the week. MUFs during daylight hours at
equal latitudes are expected to be about 30MHz for the
south and 27MHz for the north. The darkness hour lows are
expected to be around 7MHz. Paths this week to Japan
should have a maximum usable frequency with a 50 per cent
success rate of 25MHz. However, the optimum working
frequency, with a 90 per cent success rate, will be about
21MHz. The best time to try this path will be around
0900UTC. 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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