RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for November 17th 2019.

GB2RS NEWS

Sunday 17th November 2019

The news headlines:

RSGB Board co-opts assistance

Nominate for the CWops Award

Radio events at Bletchley Park

Two experienced RSGB Members have been co-opted to assist the Board. Dr John Rogers, M0JAV becomes a Board Director. Dr Stewart Bryant, G3YSX will advise the Board on RSGB publications activities and support the Contest Committee. Dr Rogers and Dr Bryant will remain co-opted until the 2020 RSGB AGM. They will then either step down or stand for election to the Board in the normal way.

The CW Operators Club, CWops, is now accepting nominations for this year’s Award for Advancing the Art of CW. Individuals, groups and organisations are all equally eligible, and the award is not limited to amateur radio operators or their organisations. Nominations may be made by anybody, not just CWops members, and should be emailed to [email protected] with a copy to [email protected]. The closing date for nominations is the 18th of March 2020 and the presentation will be made at Dayton Hamvention. Further details, including criteria for nomination, can be found at www.cwops.org.

Following on from the success of previous radio workshops at Bletchley Park, we’ll be running two more events this December. On Saturday the 14th of December the Introduction to Amateur Radio workshop is open to anyone aged 17 and over. It consists of talks, videos and demonstrations, and gives attendees an insight into the world of amateur radio. The following day, Sunday the 15th December, the hands-on Build a Radio Receiver workshop is aimed at 10 to 18-year-olds. Attendees will have a short introduction to the history of radio communications, propagation and electronic construction, before moving on to building a medium wave radio receiver, which they will be able to take away with them. We thank the Radio Communications Foundation for supporting this event. Pre-booking is essential. Go to www.bletchleypark.org.uk/whats-on for more information and to book.

The World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 continues in Egypt, considering many aspects of radio including several that will affect our hobby. The ITU Media Team has a TV studio for interviews and they recently spoke to Tim Ellam, VE6SH, President of the International Amateur Radio Union. You can find that interview, plus all the latest news at www.rsgb.org/wrc-19 and on the RSGB social media channels.

Well over 80,000 people have visited the RSGB National Radio Centre so far this year. In order to provide even better engagement with our guests, we are looking to recruit more volunteers to join the NRC team. If you are an RSGB Member with a Full licence, like meeting people, enjoy explaining and demonstrating our hobby, you could be ideal. NRC volunteers enjoy numerous benefits associated with volunteering at Bletchley Park and full training will be given. You’ll need to be available for one, or preferably two days a month and should live within a sensible travelling distance of Bletchley Park. Reasonable travel costs are refunded. Please email [email protected] for further information.

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

Nevada Radio has its open day in their Portsmouth premises today, Sunday the 17th. RSGB representatives will be in attendance.

The Mid Cornwall Beacon and Repeater Group AGM is on Saturday the 23rd of November. It takes place at Lanivet Village Hall, Lanivet, Cornwall PL30 5HG. Doors open at 1pm and proceedings commence at 2pm. Full details are at www.gb3nc.org.uk.

The 42nd CATS Radio & Electronics Bazaar takes place next Sunday, the 24th of November. The venue is Oasis Academy Coulsdon, Homefield Road, Old Coulsdon CR5 1ES. Doors open from 10am until 2pm and the £1.50 entry fee includes a free tea or coffee. There will be second hand equipment, flea market tables, traders, a Bring and Buy stand and an RSGB bookstall. Refreshments are available on site. Contact Andy, G0KZT on 0772 986 6600 or see www.catsradio.org.

Next Sunday also sees the Bishop Auckland Radio Amateurs Club rally. It takes place at Spennymoor Leisure Centre, 32 High Street, Spennymoor, County Durham, DL16 6DB. The venue has good parking and access to the large ground floor hall. There will be the usual radio, computer, electronics, and Bring & Buy stalls as well as catering and bar. Doors open at 10.30am, with disabled visitors gaining access at 10.15. Admission is £2, with under 14s free of charge with an adult. More details from John, G4LRG on 0777 569 6568.

We have no more rallies listed for 2019. Please send details of your 2020 rally and event plans as soon as possible to [email protected].

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

Al, K7AR will be active as V63AR from Pohnpei, OC-010, from the 18th to the 26th of November. Using the HF bands with CW, SSB and FT8, he will also enter the CQ World Wide DX CW contest. QSL to home call.

Bud, AA3B will be on the air as V26K from Antigua, NA-100, until the 26th of November. He’ll be on HF with an emphasis on CW. He will take part in the CQ World Wide DX CW contest. QSL direct to home call.

Dan, N6MJ will be in the Cayman Islands as ZF2MJ from the 19th to the 25th of November. During the CQ World Wide DX CW contest, he will sign ZF1A. QSL ZF2MJ to home call and ZF1A via K6AM.

Didier, F6BCW will be QRV as FO/F6BCW from Hiva Oa Island, IOTA reference OC-027, from the 19th to the 25th of November. Activity will be on 40 and 20m. QSL direct to home call.

Mats, SM6LRR will be on the air in Vietnam as XV9D from today until the 30th of November. Look for him on 40 and 20m. He’ll also be on 40m in the CQ World Wide DX CW contest. QSL direct to EA5GL.

Members of the Radio Club QRM Belgrano are QRV as LU4AAO until the 18th of November to celebrate Argentine Traditions Day. Activity is on the HF bands using CW, SSB and FT8. QSL direct to LU4AAO.

Members of the Slovenia Contest Club will be in Ghana operating as 9G5W until the 27th of November. Activity will be on 160 to 10m using CW, SSB, RTTY and other digital modes. They will enter the CQ World Wide DX CW contest. QSL via Logbook of the World.

Now the special event news

Throughout November W9CAP will be on the air from Chicago, celebrating the role of the US Civil Air Patrol in Illinois. Operations are planned in the 7, 14, 18 and 28MHz bands. A special QSL card will be available.

OL75CARBON will be on the air until the end of November from the Czech Republic. The station celebrates the 75th anniversary of WWII Operation Carbon, which dropped British-trained Czech paratroopers in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. Station details and a wealth of fascinating detail on Operation Carbon can be found on the QRZ.com page for OL75CARBON.

Cape Fear Amateur Radio Society is Celebrating its 50th anniversary by operating K4MN from the 18th to the 24th of November. Details, including planned frequencies, are at https://cfarsnc.org/

Please send special event details to [email protected] as early as possible. We have not received special event station notifications from Ofcom in recent months so you MUST let us know to get your event publicised on GB2RS, in RadCom and online.

Now the contest news

Today sees the UK Microwave Group Low Band contest. Running from 1000 to 1400UTC, all modes can be used on the 1.3 to 3.4GHz bands. The exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

On Tuesday the 1.3GHz Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2300UTC. Using all modes on the 23cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

On Wednesday the Autumn Series SSB contest runs from 2000 to 2130UTC. Using SSB only on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number.

Thursday sees the 70MHz UKAC, which runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 4m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

The biggest contest this month is CQWW DX CW, which runs for 48 hours over the weekend of 23rd to the 24th. Starting at 0000UTC on Saturday and ending at 2359 on Sunday, this CW-only event uses all the contest bands from 1.8 to 28MHz. The exchange is signal report and Zone, which is 14 for the UK.

Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Friday the 15th of November 2019.

Last week was pretty good in terms of HF propagation. Other than a slight blip in the Kp index on Monday the 11th, when it rose to three due to a weak coronal hole stream, geomagnetic conditions remained settled.

The Sun remained spot-free all week, although a new region was noted on the 13th. Region 2752 rotated into view on the southwestern edge of the Sun’s disk, but we will have to wait and see how it develops. The magnetic layout and high latitude location of this region associates it with the new Solar Cycle 25. This is the second such region in the past few weeks, but don’t get too excited as going by previous experience it may disappear within a couple of days.

Maximum usable frequencies were often above 21MHz at times, according to Propquest.co.uk, which had more to do with better autumnal seasonal ionospheric conditions than increased solar activity.

Next week NOAA has the solar flux index pinned at 70 or 71 all week, with unsettled geomagnetic conditions from the 20th to the 24th.

At the time of writing a large coronal hole was just turning to be Earth-facing, which could lead to disrupted geomagnetic conditions, perhaps beginning late on the 16th. As always check for a pre-auroral enhancement as the solar wind first hits the Earth and then expect conditions to decline with reduced MUFs and noisy bands as any potential geomagnetic storm develops.

And now the VHF and up propagation news.

This coming week is a continuation of the long run of unsettled wet weather. Microwave band stations will be the main beneficiaries of this rain as it should bring some good rain scatter. The rain is likely to be in the form of heavy showers, which at this time of the year are mostly around the coasts and a short distance inland.

The many radar displays online will give you plenty of help tracking down the stronger radar echoes, which might give some useful scatter points. More widespread frontal activity will also be present at times, so giving more rain scatter path options to explore.

It is hard to find any strong highs on the charts for next week, so Tropo will not be a big player, although there are times, in between the areas of low pressure, when a weak ridge may give a temporary but slight enhancement.

The Leonids meteor shower is at its maximum today so look out for the better meteor scatter conditions to peak overnight and extend into next week.

It’s a good EME weekend, and the final ARRL VHF/UHF contest is underway. Moon declination is at its highest, so we have long Moon windows and high Moon elevation, but as we are still a week from perigee – the point of the Moon’s closest approach – losses are still quite high. 144MHz sky temperature is low for most of the week.

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