RSGB Main News for 29 October 2000.
Jim
* GB2RS News for 29 October 2000.
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* GB2RS is the weekly news service of the RSGB, broadcast by radio
amateurs. *
* News items from this week's script may be reproduced freely in printed
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clearly identified. The news may not be reproduced on the Internet
without prior written permission, though webmasters are welcome to
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* News for GB2RS must be sent in by 0900UTC on the Tuesday before the
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The main news headlines:
+ Don Beattie, G3OZF, to Serve Second Term as RSGB President
[http://www.rsgb.org/membersonly/gb2rs.htm#g3ozf]
+ Phase 3-D Now Set to Launch on the 14th of November
[http://www.rsgb.org/membersonly/gb2rs.htm#p3d]
+ Last Year's RAE Papers Available
[http://www.rsgb.org/membersonly/gb2rs.htm#rae]
+ RA's Roadshow in Wakefield and Peterborough This Week
[http://www.rsgb.org/membersonly/gb2rs.htm#raroadshow]
+ News of DX Activity from Kuwait, Mali and the Cape Verde Islands
[http://www.rsgb.org/membersonly/gb2rs.htm#dxnews]
+ And, Can You Help to Rebuild 'The Bombe'?
[http://www.rsgb.org/membersonly/gb2rs.htm#bombe]
The news in detail:
Don Beattie, G3OZF, to Serve Second Term as RSGB President
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At the RSGB Council meeting last July, Council voted unanimously in
favour of the Society's current President, Don Beattie, G3OZF, serving a
further year in office. Mr Beattie accepted the decision and thanked
Council for its continued support. Mr Beattie is only the second
President since the early 1950s to serve for two consecutive years. The
last two-term President was Ian Kyle, GI8AYZ, who was President in 1997
and 1998. From January 2002, if the proposed new Memorandum and Articles
of Association are adopted by the membership, Presidents will
automatically serve in office for two years.
Phase 3-D Now Set to Launch on 14 November
------------------------------------------
The next-generation Phase 3-D amateur radio satellite is now scheduled
to go into space from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana,
on Tuesday the 14th of November. Launch agency Arianespace announced the
revised launch date for the Ariane-5 Flight 135 last week. The launch
was delayed from a tentative window on the 31st of October. AMSAT-DL
Executive Vice President Peter Guelzow, DB2OS, who's heading the Phase
3-D launch campaign, says Phase 3-D is "ready to fly" and has passed all
of its pre-launch inspections, testing and preparation.
Last Year's RAE Papers Available
--------------------------------
All potential radio amateurs and RAE tutors will be interested to hear
that the May and December 1999 Radio Amateurs Examination papers have
now been made available by City & Guilds. Contact City & Guilds Sales
Section on 020 7294 2468 for details of pricing and how to order them.
RA's Roadshow in Wakefield and Peterborough This Week
-----------------------------------------------------
The next Radiocommunications Agency Roadshow takes place on Tuesday the
31st of October at the Cedar Court Hotel in Wakefield, followed by an
event at the Moat House Hotel in Peterborough on Thursday the 2nd of
November. The Roadshows are a series of conferences about the radio
spectrum which are being held by the RA at venues throughout the country
during October and November. Representatives from mobile phone networks,
the emergency services, broadcasters, telecommunications manufacturers,
and a small number of committed radio amateurs and marine radio users,
will hear from the RA about the changes that are under way, or planned,
for what is a vital, but limited, natural resource. Other events take
place later in London, Portsmouth, Birmingham, Warrington and Bristol,
although we have been informed that the London meeting is already fully
booked. For further details, or to book a place, visit the RA's web site
at www.radio.gov.uk or call the event office on 020 7720 4411.
Can You Help to Rebuild 'The Bombe'?
------------------------------------
Radio amateurs played a vital role during World War Two and your country
needs you again. The need is at Bletchley Park, where the predecessor of
the first computer, known as 'the Bombe', is being recreated. For this,
around 100 'old technology' metal rectifiers are desperately needed. The
rectifiers are no longer made, but could well exist in radio amateurs'
'junk boxes'. The type needed is a selenium rectifier made by STC, code
H18-8-1, 60mA in forward direction. Although a sample doesn't exist, it
is likely to be long, with about eight 'fins' or metal plates and
probably light grey in colour. Anyone able to donate supplies of these
or a close equivalent is invited to write to Martyn Hart, the Bombe
Rebuild Team Supplies Co-ordinator, at 25 The Warren, Gravesend, Kent
DA12 4DA.
During the Second World War, listening to radio broadcasts in prisoner
of war camps was kept 'hush hush' and the apparatus was of necessity
concealed from the captors. Many radio amateurs were involved in the
ingenuity demonstrated, making capacitors from scrap and resistors from
tree bark. In a lecture at the Institution of Electrical Engineers on
Monday the 30th of October at 6.30pm, Ralph Barrett, G2FQS, explores the
construction and operation of clandestine radio receivers in both the
European and Far East campaigns. There will also be an exhibition,
courtesy of the Imperial War Museum. Admission is free, and no tickets
are required. Just turn up at the Institution at Savoy Place, London
WC2. The closest underground station is Embankment. There will also be
free refreshments at 6.00pm.
News of DX Activity from Kuwait, Mali and the Cape Verde Islands
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Special event station 9K2LOW will be on the air from Kuwait on the 4th,
5th and 6th of November to celebrate the anniversary of the
extinguishing of the last oil well deliberately set ablaze by retreating
Iraqi forces after the Gulf War. The Last Oil Well anniversary is now a
national event and the Kuwaiti Amateur Radio Society invites all radio
amateurs around the world to take part. Special QSL cards will be
available, and requests should be sent to 9K2RA.
Good news for 'prefix hunters'. The Belgian special event station OO4CLM
will be on the air from Knokke from the 1st to 12th of November.
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DX News
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Now some DX news, compiled from the *425 DX News *bulletin and other
sources:
* Peter, G4MJS, is operating as 9M6BAA from now until Tuesday the 31st of
October from the Hillview Gardens Amateur Radio Club, in Sabah, East
Malaysia. Operation is mainly on 50.115MHz, with a CW beacon running
when not in contact, with HF activity as time permits.
* Three American operators are active on all bands SSB and CW from
Anguilla, which counts as NA-022 for the RSGB IOTA awards, from now
until the 2nd of November. Look for them this weekend, the 28th and
29th, as VP2ER in the CQ World Wide DX phone contest.
* TZ6JA is now active again from Bamako, Mali, until about the 20th of
November. He operates on 40, 20, 15 and 10 metres during his mornings on
weekdays and at any time on the weekends. QSL via JA3EMU.
* EA8EE, EA8BYG, SM0JHF and SM0JQX will be signing D44AC from Sao Vicente
in the Cape Verde Islands, IOTA AF-086, from the 1st to 7th of November.
Activity will be on all modes, including CW, SSB, RTTY, PSK31,
Hellschreiber, SSTV and PacTOR.
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International Broadcasting
--------------------------
Germany's international broadcasting service is known as Deutsche Welle
They have a comprehensive short wave schedule which goes out in 32
languages. They have three HF transmitter
sites in Germany plus relay stations in Portugal, Rwanda, Antigua and
Sri Lanka. Their English programmes for North West Europe go out from
Jülich [*pron: "Yoolish"*] from 2000 until 2045UTC daily on 7130kHz,
using 100kW. On Thursdays there is an interesting programme called
'Living in Germany'. They also offer free German language lessons via
their web site.
Last Sunday we received a report from listener David Ansell, who lives
in Horsham in Sussex, that he was also hearing this English-language
broadcast from Deutsche Welle quite strongly via its second harmonic on
14260kHz in the 20-metre amateur band. Would other listeners like to
check this out and report the strength and regularity of this signal to
us via e-mail at gb...@cwctv.net or by voice mail and fax on 01 565 634
560, or direct to the RSGB Intruder Watch service?
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Contest News
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There are no RSGB HF contests either this weekend or next weekend. The
CQ World Wide DX phone contest is taking place the whole of this
weekend, the 28th and 29th of October, and finishes at 2400UTC on Sunday
night. This is the biggest amateur radio operating event of the year
with activity from many thousands of stations throughout the world,
giving keen contesters and casual operators alike the chance to work
some rare DX. The contest is on 160, 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 metres and
stations wishing to participate from the UK should exchange an RS report
and their CQ Zone - the UK is in Zone 14.
There are also no RSGB VHF contests this weekend, although the second of
five sessions in the 432MHz Cumulative Contest is on Tuesday evening,
the 31st of October, between 8.00pm and 10.30pm local time.
Next weekend, the RSGB 144MHz CW contest and the IARU Marconi Memorial
144MHz CW Contest run concurrently from 1400UTC on Saturday the 4th of
November, for 24 hours.
For those who cannot devote the whole 24 hours to the contest, the
RSGB's Six-Hour 144MHz CW event runs from 0800 to 1400UTC next Sunday,
the 5th.
The full rules of all RSGB contests for the year 2000 may be found in
the October 1999 issue of RadCom. Both the HF and VHF Contest Committees
have web sites, from which comprehensive contest details are available.
Links to these can be found on the RSGB web site.
* Details of RSGB HF contests are at:
www.g4tsh.demon.co.uk/HFCC/index.htm and VHF/UHF contests at:
www.blacksheep.org/vhfcc
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Propagation News
----------------
And now the solar factual data for the period from the 16th to the 22nd
of October, compiled by Neil Clarke, G0CAS:
Solar activity was low, except on the 16th and 21st when activity was
moderate. The largest flare of the week was an M3/1N on the 21st. Solar
flux varied little and averaged 158 units. The 90-day solar flux average
on the 22nd was 170, that's six units down on last week. X-Ray flux
levels declined from C1.5 units on the 16th to B5.1 by the 22nd and
averaged B7.3 units.
Geomagnetic activity was 'quiet' every day, but on the 22nd increased
during the afternoon due to a coronal hole. The Ap index on the 22nd was
13 and the average was Ap 8 units.
Solar wind data from the ACE spacecraft saw solar wind speeds decline
from 620 kilometres per second to 380 by the 20th. They then increased
on the 22nd to 520 kilometres per second. Particle densities remained
low except on the 22nd, when they increased to 20 particles per cubic
centimetre. Bz varied between minus and plus 10 nanoTeslas throughout.
Now the ionospheric data for Chilton, Oxfordshire. With continuing
'quiet' geomagnetic conditions the F2 daytime critical frequencies were
the highest seen so far this solar cycle and averaged 12.8MHz. 28MHz
band conditions were excellent to all continents on most days. Also
openings to West Africa took place on 6 metres. The darkness hour lows
showed little variation and averaged 3.4MHz. The daytime highs occurred
between 1100 and 1500UTC. The darkness hour lows took place between 0400
and 0500UTC.
And now the solar forecast. This week the quieter side of the sun is
expected to be rotating into view. Solar activity should be low to
moderate, however, an outside chance of a major solar flare still
exists, particularly during the first half of the week. The solar flux
should be around 160 by next weekend. Hopefully geomagnetic activity
should be mostly 'quiet' today which is the last day of the CQ World
Wide contest, although activity could become more disturbed later in the
week.
MUFs during daylight hours at equal latitudes should be around 35MHz for
the south and slightly lower for the north. Paths this week to India
should have a maximum usable frequency, with a 50 per cent success rate,
of about 40MHz. The optimum working frequency, with a 90 per cent
success rate, should be around 28MHz. The best time to try this path
should be between 0800 and 1400UTC.
This section is also available in a Saturday update, posted every
Saturday evening and for more on propagation generally, see
http://www.rsgb.org/society/psc.htm
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Road, Potters Bar, Herts, UK, EN6 3JE. Tel: +44 1707 659015. Fax: +44
1707 645105.
(www.rsgb.org)
--
____________________________________
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dynastic at cwcom.net
nordland at lineone.net
Rallies: http://website.lineone.net
http://www.netcomuk.co.uk