RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for November 3rd 2019.

GB2RS NEWS

Sunday 3rd November 2019

The news headlines:

New edition of RadCom Plus released

Latest news on WRC-19

5MHz Newsreader wanted

The RSGB is pleased to announce that the new edition of RadCom Plus, Volume 4, Issue 1, is out now at www.rsgb.org/radcom-plus. RadCom Plus is the RSGB’s digital technical supplement and RSGB Members can read it in HTML5 flipbook, PDF and Epub formats. This issue contains over 50 pages and includes an Arduino Vector Network Analyser, the pros and cons of multiband inverted-V antennas and a homemade yet accurate 100kHz to 3GHz spectrum analyser. All the back copies of RadCom Plus have now been converted to the HTML5 viewer. RSGB Members can sign up to receive email alerts for future editions at https://thersgb.org/members/portal/

The World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 opened in Egypt on the 28th of October. Daily reports of proceedings can be found on the RSGB’s social media and special focus page at www.rsgb.org/wrc-19. These reports are prepared by the RSGB volunteers attending the Conference. WRC-19 has a wide-ranging agenda, of which the amateur issues are but a small part.

We’re still in need of readers to join the GB2RS News 5MHz team rota. The 5MHz GB2RS broadcast takes place on Sunday afternoons at 1500UTC on 5398.5kHz USB. A Full licence is necessary for 5MHz operation and you must be a Member of the RSGB. If you are interested in joining the team, please contact the GB2RS News Manager via email to [email protected].

Bletchley Park changed to its winter opening hours on Friday the 1st of November. This means that the site, including the RSGB National Radio Centre, will be open from 9.30am to 4pm, with last admission at 3pm. RSGB Members can gain free entry to Bletchley Park by downloading the voucher at rsgb.org/bpvoucher.

Episode 24 of TX Factor is a National Hamfest 2019 special, reporting on some of the eye-catching products and services on display at this year’s event in Newark. They investigate the current state of HF propagation with RSGB Propagation Studies Committee Chair Steve Nichols, G0KYA, celebrate 50 years of Nevada Radio with Mike Devereaux, G3SED, try out a few solder stations and look at the VMARS vintage AM radios. And to cap it all, they take a look at the latest rig from Yaesu, the FTdx101D. As always, there’s a chance to win a great bundle of prizes from their sponsors, the RSGB and ML&S. Go to www.txfilms.co.uk/txfactor/

The RSGB VHF Contest Committee would appreciate your views on a number of topics to help it set the contest rules for 2020. The survey is quite short and all your views are read and appreciated. The survey will close at midnight on Sunday the 10th of November and is available at www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/VHFCC2019. Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey.

The annual Hog Roast at Martin Lynch & sons will take place on the 30th of November at their premises in Staines, TW18 2AP. The published date in the November RadCom is incorrect and our apologies to ML&S for the error.

Have you applied to host the callsign for this year’s Youngsters on the Air Month, which takes place throughout December? The RSGB has the call sign GB19YOTA and we’re looking for radio clubs, schools, Scout and Guides groups, Cadet groups and individuals to activate the call sign or host a station. To find out more go to www.rsgb.org/yota-month.

The Royal Signals ARS would like to contact those people who joined the RSARS at the National Hamfest on 28 and 29 September. Please contact the membership secretary by email to [email protected].

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

Today, the 3rd of November, the Bushvalley ARC Rally takes place at Limavady Football Club, Rathmore Road, Limavady BT49 0DF. Doors open 11am and admission is £3.

Next Saturday, the 9th of November, the BATC ATV Convention South takes place at Chilton Village Hall near Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0SH. There will be an ATV Clinic, Show and Tell, Bring & Buy and two interesting talks. More information at https://forum.batc.org.uk

Plymouth Radio Club would like to inform people that this year’s rally, planned for November, will not be held. The club would like to thank all those who have supported them over the years.

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

Members of the CAN-AM DXpedition Group will be active as TX7T from Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands, IOTA reference OC-027, from the 6th to the 17th of November. They will operate CW, SSB, RTTY and FT8 in Fox & Hound mode on the 160 to 6m bands. QSL via M0URX's OQRS and Logbook of The World.

Rick, NE8Z will be active as HC1MD/2 from the lighthouse at Capay on Hill, in the Santa Elena province of Ecuador until the 9th of November. He will operate CW, SSB and FT8 on the 40, 30, 20 and 17m bands. QSL via Logbook of The World, or direct to K8LJG.

Eric, VA2IDX will be active as VA2IDX/P from Anticosti Island, NA-077, until the 6th of November. He will operate CW QRP and possibly SSB on the 40 and 20m bands around 2000 to 0200UTC. QSL via his home call.

Gary, G0FWX will be operating as V47FWX between the 6th and the 13th of November from John, V47JA’s QTH in St Kitts and Nevis, NA-104. QSL via M0URX.

Tom, F4HPX is on holiday on New Caledonia, OC-32, from the 3rd of November. He will be operating as FK/F4HPX on the 80 to 10m bands using FT4, SSB, and CW. He also plans a visit to the Ile des Pins, OC-033. QSL via F4HPX either direct or via the bureau, Club Log OQRS, Logbook of the World or eQSL.

Now the special event news

The volunteers of the Brooklands Wireless Communications Collection will operate the museum's callsign, GB1BM, to commemorate the 101st anniversary of the ending of hostilities of the First World War on the 9th of November. They will operate from the Finishing Straight, Brooklands Museum, Brooklands Road, Weybridge KT13 0QN. The aim is to contact 101 other radio stations using just one frequency because most radio equipment in use in 1918 was only capable of operating on a single channel. You can work the station on the air or visit the museum between 10am and 4pm. Please note the normal entry fees apply.

Please send special event details to [email protected] as early as possible so we can give you free publicity. It is a licensing condition that stations using a UK special event callsign must be open to the public.

Now the contest news

This weekend, the Marconi CW contest runs for 24 hours ending at 1400UTC today, the 3rd. It is CW only on the 144MHz band and the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

The Midlands Inter-Club GMT Activity contest continues today, Sunday the 3rd, and on subsequent Sundays. It runs between 10am and midday, on or around 145.450MHz FM. Full details can be found at solihullradioclub.co.uk/award.

On Monday the Pioneer FT4 Series contest runs from 2000 to 2100UTC. Using the 3.5MHz band only, the exchange is signal report and your 4-character locator.

On Tuesday the 144MHz Machine Generated Mode Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 1955UTC. The exchange is signal report and your 4-character locator. At the same time the 144MHz FM Activity Contest takes place, with the exchange of signal report, serial number and 6-digit locator. It is immediately followed by the all-mode 144MHz UK Activity Contest from 2000 to 2230UTC. The exchange for this contest is signal report, serial number and locator.

On Wednesday the UK EI Contest Club contest runs from 2000 to 2100UTC. Using SSB on the 80m band, the exchange is your 4-character locator.

On Saturday, the Club Calls or 1.8MHx AFS contest runs from 2000 to 2300UTC. Using CW and SSB on the 1.8MHz band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and club information.

The WAE DX RTTY contest runs for 48 hours next weekend from 0000UTC on the 9th to 2359UTC on the 10th. Using the 3.5 to 28MHz contest bands, the exchange is just your signal report and serial number.

Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA & G4BAO on Friday the 1st of November.

Last week offered a mixed bag of HF propagation. The weekend saw the aftermath of a geomagnetic storm, triggered by matter from a solar coronal hole. This pushed the Kp index up to six and sparked auroras at the North and South poles. The disturbance eventually settled by Wednesday, after a few days of the Kp index hitting three. This didn’t stop top DXers working VP6R, the DXpedition on Pitcairn Island in the Pacific. A variety of modes were used to put the callsign in people’s logs, with the FT8 Fox and Hounds mode proving popular.

Next week we may see more of the same as the Sun continues to present zero sunspots. Geomagnetic conditions are a little harder to predict as a weak coronal hole stream is currently moving past Earth. Visible aurora will be likely at very high latitudes.

The US Air Force predicts the Ap index – and note, that’s not the Kp index – will remain at about five, with an increase to 10 on the sixth. This equates to a Kp index maximum of two, which suggests more settled conditions from this weekend onwards.

Daytime critical frequencies are struggling to get much above 6.3MHz at the moment, which translates to a maximum useable frequency over 3,000km of up to around 21MHz, and occasionally higher. There have even been reports of 28MHz openings. Night-time critical frequencies are currently around 3.25MHz, which doesn’t bode well for NVIS contacts around the UK on 80 metres. But longer distance contacts into Europe and further afield should still be possible at night.

And now the VHF and up propagation news.

The atmospheric forecast models are very good at predicting the general weather type out to some considerable time ahead. They seem to be in broad agreement about the coming period of weather being dominated by areas of low pressure and bands of rain or showers. This once again means that rain scatter will probably be the main weather-related propagation mode for next week.

High pressure is not really a candidate for Tropo propagation modes next week and, since we are way past the main Sporadic-E season, the list scrolls down to the odd chance aurora and meteor scatter event. These are very hard to predict, other than recommending that you should be aware of any meteor showers and watch the various propagation bulletins that show the state of the solar wind and geomagnetic index.

Moon declination is increasing again from today, going positive this coming Saturday, meaning Moon windows will lengthen. The Moon is at apogee on Thursday so losses will be at their highest this week. 144MHz sky temperature reaches a minimum on Thursday.

There are no major meteor showers this week, but the big Leonids shower is just two weeks away, so get ready!

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