GB2RS NEWS

Sunday 2nd September 2018

The news headlines:

Annual Reunion of Code Breakers

Respond now to Ofcom consultation

New Exams Standards appointment

Today, Sunday the 2nd of September, it’s the Annual Reunion of Code Breakers at Bletchley Park, including those who were Voluntary Interceptors. This event is organised by Bletchley Park and more can be seen at www.bletchleypark.org.uk

Preparations for the next World Radio Conference, WRC-19, are increasing. An important Ofcom consultation is nearing its conclusion, which includes key items on the future of 50MHz, wireless power and microwave bands. UK amateurs are encouraged to respond to Ofcom, highlighting the importance of current and potential innovations. The submission deadline is Thursday 13th of September. The RSGB has background on these topics on our WRC-19 Focus pages, via tinyurl.com/GB2RS-0902-A

The RSGB is pleased to announce that Mike Bruce, M0ITI, has been appointed to the RSGB Examinations Standards Committee with the role of Examinations Systems Review Manager. The responsibilities of this new role within ESC will be to manage the syllabus review and future updates; manage the question bank and interaction with exam system providers; and keep the RSGB exam web pages up to date with the changes. Mike obtained his full licence in 2013 and he has served on the RSGB Examinations Group since June 2016.

Following the recent announcement in RadCom, a collection of over 50 historic amateur licensing documents is now online. It is hoped that it is both illuminating and of interest. Some documents, such as the original 50MHz permits, are quite topical as we approach WRC-19. The current selection stretches back to 1946. Please feel free to contact he organisers if you have further historic material, as they attempt to fill in the gaps. To view the documents, go to tinyurl.com/GB2RS-0902-B

The Yasme Foundation has announced the election of Marty Woll, N6VI as the newest Foundation Director. The Board of Directors now includes President, N0AX, Vice President, K4ZW, Treasurer, W6OAT, PB2T, OH2BH, K3ZO, W6RGG and N6VI. The Yasme Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation organised to support scientific and educational projects related to amateur radio, including DXing and the introduction and promotion of amateur radio in developing countries. See www.yasme.org for more information on their work.

Saturday the 8th of September is the annual Churches and Chapels on the Air event. Activity will be mainly on 40m from 10am to 4pm using SSB. There is a list of stations taking part at www.wacral.org and to get your event on the list, send details to [email protected]

A new Buildathon has been announced for this year's National Hamfest. Aimed at the younger person and those who are newly or non-licensed, this activity is being sponsored by the RSGB Legacy fund. A place costs only £5, which is refunded as an RSGB book voucher if you complete the project on the day. As a bonus, the Hamfest organisers are offering free entry to those who book for the Buildathon so the £5 covers entry to the Hamfest too. The project is a Poldhu Kits ‘Redruth’ receiver. Help, technical expertise and all necessary equipment will be provided on the day. Many thanks to Poldhu Kits for their help in providing the kits. If you would like to attend or bring someone along to participate, Buildathon tickets can be purchased from www.rsgb.org/hamfestbuildathon

During the summer the RSGB National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park has been open seven days a week. It will revert to being closed on Tuesdays throughout September and the early part of October to enable essential maintenance work to be completed. The intention is to open on Tuesdays again in time for the school half term holiday in October. Meantime, the NRC will be open each day, apart from a Tuesday, from 9.30am to 5pm, which is in line with the Bletchley Park museum opening times.

The latest edition of The 5MHz Newsletter is now available for free pdf download from the RSGB 5MHz page at tinyurl.com/GB2RS-0902-C This edition includes 5MHz news from 8 countries, features the World of 5MHz, the Wikipedia 60m band page, CEPT, a section on whether you monitor the UK 5MHz beacons, useful propagation sites for 5MHz and reader’s feedback from G4DWV.

This year's International Air Ambulance Week will take place between the 8th and 16th of September with the focus on supporting and generating donations for flying medical services around the world. Whilst amateur radio operators are encouraged to promote the donation causes, it is requested that any donations generated go to the station's chosen local or national cause. Registration is mandatory and all stations taking part will be issued a registration number that will be listed on the event website. A free series of Awards will be available for those who support the event. All information and registration details are at tinyurl.com/GB2RS-0902-D

The 22nd of September marks the 100th anniversary of the first wireless transmission between Australia and the United Kingdom. Messages were transmitted from the Marconi station at Waunfawr in Wales and were received by Ernest Fisk at Wahroonga near Sydney. As part of the Centenary celebrations, the Wireless Institute of Australia will hold an on-air event that will run throughout September. State and Territory special callsigns VI#MARCONI will be active on a roster basis. In addition, the Hornsby & District ARC will be active as VK100MARCONI. Complete information can be found via tinyurl.com/GB2RS-0902-E

The AO73/FUNcube-1 satellite has been in space for almost five years and the original sun synchronous orbit has now changed slightly such that the spacecraft will no longer be in eclipse for 35 minutes every orbit. The eclipse period has already reduced and will again become zero on the 8th. This means the usual autonomous switching between transponder in eclipse and high-power telemetry when in sunlight will no longer be effective. It has been decided to have AO73/FUNcube-1 initially operate for alternate periods of one week in either Safe or Educational modes. Full details at www.amsat.org/pipermail/amsat-bb/

The G5RP Trophy is an annual award to encourage newcomers to HF DXing. The award is not limited to youngsters or the newly-licensed; it is open to anyone who has recently discovered and made significant progress in HF DXing. If you are an established HF DXer and want to recommend someone to be awarded the G5RP Trophy for 2018, please send your nominations to Ian Greenshields, G4FSU, by email to [email protected] to arrive no later than Friday the 14th of September. This prestigious RSGB award will be presented this year at the RSGB Convention on the 12th to the 14th of October.

And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week

Today, the 2nd, the annual Telford HamFest takes place at Enginuity in Coalbrookdale, Telford TF8 7DQ. Numerous trader and exhibitor stands are booked and there will be a variety of presentations from guest speakers in the Darby Boardroom. There will be an RSGB Bookstand. Doors open 10am, admission is £4.50, with accompanied under 16’s free. On-site catering will be available and car parking facilities have been improved. Details from Martyn, G3UKV on 01952 255416.

The UKFM Group Western repeater group will be holding its AGM on the 3rd of September at 7.30pm in the North Cheshire Radio Club, Morley Green Social Club, Morley Green, Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 5NT.

The AGM and Get-Together of the Radio Amateurs Old Timers Association will be held at the Brunswick Inn in Derby on Wednesday the 5th of September. It is RAOTA’s diamond jubilee year. The Get-Together will open at 11am and the AGM will commence at 1.15pm. All RAOTA members are welcome to attend and it will greatly assist or planning if members book places well in advance. Contact Ian Brothwell, G4EAN via [email protected]

On the 8th of September Caister Lifeboat Radio Rally will take place at Tan Lane, Caister on Sea NR30 5DJ. Talk-in will be on S22 and doors open at 9am, with sellers gaining access at 8am. There is also a raffle and onsite café. The event has disabled access. Contact Zane on 0771 121 4790.

GB5SH will operate from St Hilda’s Church in Hartlepool as part of Churches and Chapels on the Air on the 8th and as part of Heritage Open Days on the 9th. It is expected that the station will be active mostly on the 40, 80 and 2m bands

To get your event into RadCom and GB2RS, please send details as early as possible to [email protected]

And now the DX news from 425 DX News and other sources

Hans, PA3HGT will be active as 3B8/PA3HGT from Mauritius, IOTA reference AF-049, between the 4th and 24th of September. He will operate SSB and possibly some digital modes on the 40, 20 and 10m bands. QSL via his home callsign, either direct or via the bureau.

Claudio, HB9OAU will be on the air as SV5/HB9OAU from Karpathos in the Dodecanese islands, EU-001, between the 8th and 20th of September. He will operate SSB and FT8 on the 80 to 10m bands. QSL via his home callsign, either direct or via the bureau, Logbook of The World and eQSL; logsearch on Club Log.

The 19th annual Route 66 On The Air special event celebrates the historic US Highway 66. Twenty-one amateur radio stations using 1x1 callsigns from W6A through W6U will operate from cities along the route between the 8th and 16th of September. See http://w6jbt.org/ for information.

Richard, VE2DX will be on the air as TF/VE2DX from the 2nd to the 15th of September from Reykjavik on HF using CW, SSB, RTTY and FT8. QSL via VE2STN either direct or via the bureau.

Now the special event news

Today, 2nd of September, the Radio Club of Binche will operate as ON44WAR to commemorate the Belgian Resistance during WW II. Activity will be from 0700 to 1100UTC. CW transmissions on 7MHz from a Paraset will take place on the hour for 30 minutes, followed by SSB. QSL via ON7RY, direct, bureau or eQSL.

Today, the 2nd, Thames Amateur Radio Group will be operating GB2MFM, commemorating the 73rd anniversary of the end of WW2. Activity will be from WW2 pillbox in Wat Tyler Country Park, near Basildon.

The RSGB Region 8 Team will host GB100RAF in the STEM Village, that’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths, today, the 2nd of September at the 2018 Portrush Airshow, AirWaves. Mid Ulster ARC will provide their display trailer for the weekend and RAF ARS members will facilitate the GB100RAF callsign. QSL information for GB100RAF is via G8FC, the club call sign of HQ RAF ARS.

2018 sees Christ Church, Coventry, celebrate its 60th anniversary. Opened to replace the city-centre building bombed out during the war, the Festival of Britain design exhibits many unique architectural features. To coincide with both Churches on the Air and Heritage Open Day Quantum Amateur Radio & Technology Society will be running a VHF phone and HF FT8 special event station using the callsign GB6CCC. Visitors are welcome to not only visit the special event station but have a look around this magnificent building and climb the tower to see the vistas of Coventry. Further details are at www.g7lfc.radio.

XR208A, XR208B, XR208C and XR208D are the special callsigns for the Discolo DX Group to celebrate the 208th anniversary of the First Government Junta on the 18th of September 1810. It proclaimed Chile an autonomous republic within the Spanish monarchy. They will operate SSB, PSK31 and FT8 on the HF bands throughout September. All QSOs will be confirmed automatically via the bureau.

Philippe, F5PTA will be active as TM70ONU from Lyon in France from the 1st of September to the 27th of December, celebrating the 70th anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption and proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. QSL via eQSL only.

We are very happy to publicise your event on GB2RS, in RadCom and on the RSGB website, but only if you tell us what you’re doing! Please send details to [email protected] as early as possible. Three months in advance is about right for RadCom. One of the requirements for special event callsigns is that the station must be open to the public, so our free advance publicity can help make your efforts more widely known.

Now the contest news

Today, the 2nd of September, the RSGB’s SSB Field Day ends its 24 hours run at 1300UTC. Using SSB only on the 3.5 to 28MHz contest bands, the exchange is signal report and serial number.

Also ending its 24 hour run today, this time at 1400UTC, is the 144MHz Trophy. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

The IARU Region 1 Field Day ends its 24 hour runs at 1300UTC today, the 2nd. Using SSB only on the 3.5 to 28MHz contest bands, the exchange is signal report and serial number.

The IARU 144MHz contest also ends it 24 hour run at 1400UTC today, the 2nd. Again using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

The All Asian DX contest ends its run at 2359UTC on the 2nd. Using SSB on the 1.8 to 28MHz contest bands. The exchange is signal report and your age, with ladies able to send 00.

Today, the 2nd, the 5th 144MHz Backpacker contest runs from 1100 to 1500UTC. Using all modes on 2m only, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

Also on today, the 2nd, the Worked All Britain 2m QRO Phone contest runs from 1000 to 1400UTC. Using SSB and FM, the exchange is signal report, serial number and WAB square.

On Tuesday the 144MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1900UTC, using FM only. It is immediately followed by the all-mode 144MHz UK Activity Contest from 1900 to 2130UTC. The exchange for both is signal report, serial number and locator.

On Wednesday the UK EI Counties Contest takes place on 80m between 2000 and 2100UTC. Using SSB only, the exchange is your 4-character locator square.

The WA DX SSB contest takes place from 0000UTC on the 8th to 2359UTC on the 9th. Using SSB on the 3.5 to 28MHz contest bands, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Note EU stations work non-EU only.

Next Sunday, the 9th, the IRTS 2m Counties contest runs from 1200 to 1300UTC. Using SSB and FM, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Please note that EI and GI stations will also give their county.

It is followed immediately by the IRTS 70cm Counties contest from 1300 to 1500UTC. Again using SSB and FM the exchange is signal report and serial number. Note that EI and GI stations will also give their county.

Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Friday the 31st of August.

Just after we filed the Propagation Report last Friday we heard that a new large sunspot had just appeared. This pushed the solar flux index to 72, but more interesting was the fact that it appeared to have a reverse magnetic polarity to the rest of the spots in solar cycle 24. This means it may be the second spot seen of the new solar cycle 25. Time will tell, although this doesn’t necessarily mean that the new cycle is about to burst into life. We may still be at sunspot minimum for another 12 months or so.

Also last Sunday saw the Kp index rocket to seven due to the effects of an incoming high-speed solar wind stream. This was unexpected and caught space weather watchers unawares. It has now been linked to a coronal mass ejection that occurred earlier in the week that scientists didn’t think would impact the Earth. This just goes to show how hard it is to predict what the Sun is going to do one week in advance! The CME knocked the bands for six last weekend with a virtual total lack of signals across HF most of Sunday. With this information we are cautious about predicting what will happen over the next seven days!

What we can say is that the Sun is likely to remain fairly spotless, so the risk of solar flares is minimal. Sunspot number 2720, which did spark a number of flares on Friday 24th, has now rotated out of view, leaving a fairly blank canvas. Maximum usable frequencies are therefore due to return to seasonal averages, with 20 and perhaps occasionally 17 metres providing the most HF DX.

We are now moving towards the autumnal equinox so north-south paths may also start to improve, but we may have to wait another month or so for an improvement in east-west paths, such as UK to North America.

And now the VHF propagation news

Last Sunday’s 10GHz contest saw some excellent rain scatter propagation over the UK, with QSOs well up to the 400km mark. But the next spell of weather is looking much more settled with high pressure on the charts for much of next week. This could bring Tropo back on the agenda for most areas of the country at times. That makes it a good week to get down to the multimode ends of the bands on VHF and UHF. Remember, Tropo is a relatively long-lasting mode, so there is plenty of time to make the QSOs, unlike Sporadic-E, which can be very transient indeed. Also unlike Sporadic-E, Tropo tends to get better on higher frequency bands, so 23cm is better than 70cm, which is better than 2m. The Sporadic-E season is just about over for this year and, although there can be openings into early September, they are hard to find and usually short-lasting.

Our most predictable propagation source, the Moon, is at positive declination all week and reaches perigee early on Saturday morning so it’s a good week for EME tests, with long availability and low losses. The Moon follows a 28-day cycle, where the plane of its orbit moves from South of the equator or negative declination, to North and back. Its distance from the Earth changes from closest or perigee to furthest, apogee.

Currently maximum declination and perigee almost coincide, favouring stations in the Northern hemisphere, but this difference drifts slowly. By 2022 this situation will have reversed and Southern hemisphere stations will get this coincidence.

And that’s all from the propagation team this week.