GB2RS NEWS

Sunday 6 November 2011

The news headlines:

* Latest information on RSGB EGM

* New 2E series QSL Manager appointed

* Greek 5MHz beacon returns

The RSGB is holding an Extraordinary General Meeting on 19 November at
the NEC in Birmingham. Those not planning to attend can vote on the
resolutions using the form in November's RadCom, or by internet. In a
letter to clubs, RSGB President Dave Wilson, M0OBW has encouraged
everyone to vote on the important matters being proposed by the Board.
Remember, if you don't vote, you can't really criticise the outcome.

The Society is keen to form a view of how many people will be at the
EGM, for planning purposes. If you plan to attend in person, please
would you go to www.rsgb.org/attend and complete the brief information
required. If you plan to arrive at Birmingham International by train,
there is a free bus to take you to EGM venue. You will need to summon
the bus using a courtesy telephone. The phone, which has a Hilton logo
on it, is inside the station arrivals hall, next to the Subway
restaurant.

The QSL bureau would like to thank everyone who volunteered for the
vacant post of 2E series sub manager, which has now been filled. John
Russell, 2E0CGT, will shortly take over from Anthony Horton, G0LKG, who
has managed the 2E0 series for 12 years. Over that time the 2E0 series
grew into one of the largest sub groups .Our thanks go to him and his
XYL for their kind efforts. 2E1 callsigns, currently managed by Lloyd
Thomas, 2W0LLT are also to be re-combined, making up one single 2E
series. All cards and envelopes are currently being transferred. Full
details are in the members' area of the RSGB website.

A 5MHz beacon from Greece is now on the air. Operating on 5398.5kHz CW,
it runs 30W into a non resonant antenna for the moment. It should be on
the air mostly between 1900 and 0600UTC. It may be off on some days due
to other HF activities at the test site, so try to listen regularly.
Details of the beacon message and timings can be found on the IARU
Region 1 website, www.iaru-r1.org.

There will be two talks on the AMSAT-UK FUNcube Dongle VHF UHF software
defined radio at the BAA Radio Astronomy Group meeting on Saturday 12
November. The meeting is at The Humfrey Rooms, Castilian Terrace,
Northampton, NN1 1LD. Tony Abbey will talk about his experiences of
using the AMSAT- UK FUNcube and Dr David Morgan will describe how the
FUNcube Dongle raises the prospect of amateurs being able to put
together a low-cost radio telescope. Tickets for the main event are
available, with or without lunch, from www.britastro.org/radio.

A new digital net to encourage use of these modes on 10m will be held
every Saturday and Sunday at 1800UTC. The net will gather on 28.125MHz
USB, plus or minus QRM. RS ID and Call ID will be used to help people
pick out the net and modes used. Olivia 500/8 mode will be used to call
up the net but it may switch modes as needed. Check out
www.obriensweb.com/sked for online coordination during each session.
The Colorado 6m beacon is back on the air. Having been rebuilt, the
operating frequency is 50.065MHz and the callsign is KA0CDN. Further
information can be found online at www.rmvhf.org.

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

The Foyle & District ARC Rally takes place today, 6 November, at the
Best Western White Horse Hotel, 68 Clooney Road, Derry BT47 3PA. Doors
open at 12 noon and there will be trade stands, the RSGB QSL bureau and
IRTS in attendance.

The West London Radio & Electronics Show, otherwise known at the
Kempton Rally, takes place today, 6 November, at Kempton Park
racecourse, Staines Road East, Sunbury on Thames, Middlesex TW16 5AQ.
Doors open at 10am and there will be trade stands, RSGB bookstall and
lectures. More information from Paul, M0CJX, on 08451 650 351.

The Rochdale & District RS Traditional Radio Rally will take place on
12 November at St Vincent's Church Hall, Caldershaw Road, Rochdale OL12
7QL. Note that this is a Saturday rally. Doors open at 10.30am and
admission is £2.50 with concessions for under 12s and senior citizens.
Attractions include a Bring & Buy. More information from Dave, G0PUD on
07710 243 107.

The Mayo Radio Experimenters are holding their annual Radio Rally on
Sunday 20 November at the Welcome Inn Hotel, Castlebar, Co Mayo, where
the doors will open at 11am. There will be the usual range of traders,
club stands, demonstrations and extensive catering facilities. On
Saturday evening, at 7pm, Pat Fitzpatrick, EI2HX will give a talk and
demonstration on amateur television. At 9pm Dave Deane, EI9FBB will
give a talk on the ARRL DXCC Program and also on the Logbook of the
World system. He also took part in the recent T32C DXpedition. Full
details of the hotel packages, the lecture programme and rally
information are online at www.ei7mre.org.

A D-Star Digital Workshop will be held on 13 November at County Hall,
Atlantic Wharf, Cardiff CF10 4UW. Doors open from 10am to 5pm. Bring a
copy of your licence to operate the D-Star station on the day. There
will be help with operating D-Star, programming radios, repeater and
reflector use and navigating your radio. Newcomers are most welcome.
Contact Dave, 2W0RUH by e-mail to for further
details.

Now for the news of special events

G0BAR will be on air on Monday 7 November between 10am and 12pm,
activating Seaview ROC Bunker on the Isle of Wight. All details are
available at www.rocbunkers.co.uk.

The Caddington Scout and Cub group are holding a communication week
starting on 14 November. Operating from Caddington Scout HQ, Dunstable
Road, Caddington, Bedfordshire as GB1CSC, they will be on 40, 20, and
2m and they are hoping for lots of contacts.

On Sunday 13 November GB4WLR will be on the air from the West Lancs
Railway as part of the Children in Need fund raising event. And now the
HF DX news compiled from 425 DX News and other sources

I0WDX will be on the air as 8Q7CC from the Maldives until 12 November.
A web page for this operation is online at dxcoffee.com/8q7cc. QSL via
his home callsign, direct only.

LA9DL and LA6VM will be active from Bhutan using the callsigns A52DL
and A52VM, respectively, until 13 November. Operations will be on 10 to
80m. A52DL will be mainly on PSK and SSB, while A52VM will be mostly on
CW. QSL via their home callsigns.

DL2NUD, DL8YHR and DL9MS will be active as 8P9HP, 8P9DL and 8P9MS,
respectively, from Barbados between 7 and 21 November. Their operation
will be on the HF bands as well as 6 and 2m moonbounce. QSL via their
home callsigns.

9N7MD will be on the air from 13 to 25 November from Nepal. Details at
www.mdxc.org/nepal2011.

A CW-only trip with emphasis on 160m and 80m is being undertaken by
GM3YTS and GM0GAV. They will be on the air from Malawi until 13
November using the callsign 7Q7GM. QSLs go via GM4FDM and logs will
also be uploaded to Logbook of the World.

Easter Island will be available on the HF bands until 11 November when
LA5UF operates as CE0Y/LA5UF. This one counts as SA-001 for the IOTA
Award.

Now the contest news

The 432MHz UK Activity Contest takes place on 8 November from 2000 to
2230UTC. Using all modes within the 70cm band, the exchange is signal
report, serial number and locator.

November is the final month of this year's 80m Club Sprint series, with
the SSB leg taking place on 9 November between 2000 and 2130UTC. The
exchange is serial number and name.

The Club Calls Contest is a 160m team event in which a lot of club
stations are given an airing. Club stations are encouraged to involve
newly licensed members, especially in the latter part of the contest.
At that time they are not likely to be on the receiving end of a
pileup, so the pressure will be less. Script the QSOs or give them cue
cards, so they know exactly what to say and when to say it. Please note
that there are rule changes this year, so participants need to make
sure they've read them well in advance of the event. This contest is
now the second of this season's Super League events. The contest takes
place on 12 November from 2000 to 2300UTC using SSB. The exchange is
signal report, serial number and club code.

The RTTY leg of the WAE DX Contest takes place for the whole 48 hours
of 12 and 13 November. The CW leg was held in August and SSB leg in
September, but the rules for RTTY differ because on RTTY everybody
works everybody. Single operator stations are limited to 36 hours out
of 48. The exchange is signal report and serial number. And now the
solar factual data for the period from the 24th to the 30th October,
compiled by Neil Clarke, G0CAS on the 31st of October.

First this week the latest smoothed monthly sunspot numbers for
January, February and March which are 31.0, 33.4 and 36.9 respectively.

The majority of the sunspot groups visible were small and quiet but
several groups were complex enough to produce small C class solar
flares. Solar activity was low every day. Only 17 C class flares took
place during the period. Solar flux levels declined from 145 units on
the 24th to 123 by the 29th. The average was 133. The 90 day solar flux
average on the 30th was 124 units, that's two units up on last week.
X-ray flux levels declined slightly from B5.4 units to B4.3. The
average was B4.6 units. Geomagnetic activity started at sub- storm
levels with the arrival of a coronal mass ejection during the early
evening of the 24th. Because of the time of arrival, Europe missed out
on the best of the auroral propagation - unlike North America. The Ap
index on the 24th and the 25th was 23 and 33 respectively. Quiet
conditions returned the following day with an Ap of only 2 units on the
28th and the 29th. The average was Ap 10 units. Solar wind data from
the ACE spacecraft saw solar wind speeds decline from 550 kilometres
per second on the 25th to a slow 250 kilometres per second by the 29th.
Bz was negative by 23 nanoTeslas on the 24th and the 25th but for the
remainder of the period varied between minus 4 and plus 7 nanoTeslas.

And now the solar forecast. This week the quiet side of the Sun is
expected to rotate out of view. Solar activity should be low most days
but could increase to moderate levels occasionally later in the week.
Solar flux levels should steadily increase and be around the 140's by
next weekend. Geomagnetic activity should be quiet every day as no
coronal holes are expected. However, as witnessed last week, a filament
eruption or a coronal mass ejection could suddenly increase activity
and these events are not easy to forecast. MUFs during daylight hours
at equal latitudes should be about 33MHz for the south and 30MHz for
the north. Darkness hour lows are expected to be around 10MHz. Paths
this week to India should have a maximum usable frequency with a 50 per
cent success rate of about 32MHz. The optimum working frequency with a
90 per cent success rate will be around 27MHz. The best time to try
this path will be between 0900 and 1400 hours.

Last week mention was made of some very short skip propagation on
28MHz. The propagation mode is not immediately obvious, though
backscatter, sporadic-E and tropo have all been suggested. On balance,
Sporadic-E looks the most likely candidate. Although this is most
common during the summer months and around Christmas it can occur at
any time of year. This may well have been a rare unseasonable
appearance.

And that's all for this week from the propagation team.

Next, the Local News:

Please note that details of all RSGB-affiliated clubs and societies

can be found on the RSGB website, including email addresses

and website links where known.

[Note to Newsreaders: Please read the local news items appropriate to
the service area of your

transmission.]

NEWS FOR THE MIDLANDS On Sunday 6 November South Birmingham Radio
Society is visiting the West London Radio and Electronics show at
Kempton Park. Contact Don, on 01214 581 603.

On Monday 7 November Gloucester Amateur Radio & Electronics Society is
having a visit by RSGB Region 5 Manager Vaughan, M0VRR, for a talk on
Echolink plus an informal question and answer session on the RSGB.
Contact Anne, 2E1GKY, on 01452 548 478, daytime.

On Monday 7 November South Birmingham Radio Society is on the air and
having a review of new committee. Contact Don, on 01214 581 603.

On Monday 7 November Sutton Coldfield Amateur Radio Society is on the
air and holding a general meeting with discussions. More information
from Robert Bird, by email to .

On Monday 7 November Welland Valley Amateur Radio Society is running a
2m club net on 145.275MHz FM. For more information contact Peter D
Rivers, G4XEX, on 01858 432 105.

On Tuesday 8 November Derby & District Amateur Radio Society is holding
a committee meeting. Contact Richard Buckby, by email to
.

On Tuesday 8 November Forest of Dean Amateur Radio Group is having a
talk and demo on direction finding. Details on 01594 549 110.

On Tuesday 8 November Loughborough & District Amateur Radio Club is
having a talk on pop radio ships, Radio Luxembourg and other stations
by Jon Sketchley, G4DCE. More information from Chris, G1ETZ, on 01509
504 319.

On Tuesday 8 November Mid-Warwickshire Amateur Radio Society is having
a video evening with Roy, G8XDL. Details from Don, G4CYG, on 01926 424
465.

On Tuesday 8 November Worcester Radio Amateurs Association is having a
BBQ and RF night at Hallow Scout Hut. Details from Rich Moles, M0UVA,
via email to .

On Tuesday 8 November Wythall Radio Club is holding a committee
meeting. Details from Colin, M0GJM, on 07598 540 507. On Wednesday 9
November Midland Amateur Radio Society is having a committee meeting.
Details from Norman, G8BHE, on 07808 078 003.

On Wednesday 9 November Telford & District Amateur Radio Society is
having a talk by M0FHM on visiting Eastern Europe. Contact Mike, G3JKX,
on 01952 299 677.

On Thursday 10 November Salop Amateur Radio Society is having a talk.
Details on the club website at www.salop-ars.org.uk.

On Thursday 10 November South Birmingham Radio Society is having
training classes with Dave Murphy, G8OWL. Contact Don, on 01214 581
603.

On Thursday 10 November Tamworth Amateur Radio Society is having a talk
on ununs and aerials by Simon Poyser, M0GSR, from Snowdonia Radio
Company. Bob, G1BCZ,

On Friday 11 November Coventry Amateur Radio Society is holding its
great egg race. Contact John, G8SEQ, on 07958 777 363.

On Friday 11 November South Birmingham Radio Society is having a
construction evening. Contact Don, on 01214 581 603.

On Saturday 12 November Wythall Radio Club is taking part in the 160m
Club Call Contest. Details from Colin, M0GJM, on 07598 540 507.

NEWS FOR THE NORTH OF ENGLAND On Monday 7 November Angel of the North
Amateur Radio Club is holding its AGM. Contact Nancy Bone, G7UUR, on
01914 770 036.

On Monday 7 November Sheffield Amateur Radio Club is having a talk and
open forum on the RSGB situation led by the Region 4 RSGB Rep Harold
Scrivens, G0UGE. More information from Peter Day, G3PHO, by email to
.

On Monday 7 November Thornton Cleveleys Amateur Radio Society is having
a natter night. More information from J Duddington, G4BFH, on 01253 853
554.

On Tuesday 8 November Chester & District Amateur Radio Society is
holding a committee meeting. Details from Barbara Green on 07957 870
770.

On Tuesday 8 November Halifax & District Amateur Radio Society is on
the air, testing the new aerial and continuing the Foundation and
Intermediate training courses. Contact Martin, M0GQB, on 01422 341 317.

On Wednesday 9 November Hornsea Amateur Radio Club is having a club
night and participating in the Club 80m Sprint SSB contest. Contact
Gordon MacNaught, G3WOV, on 01377 240 573.

On Thursday 10 November Ripon & District Amateur Radio Society is
experimenting with locating hostelries using ARDF. Details from Rob
Hall, M0RBY, on 07876 085 631. On Thursday 10 November South Manchester
Radio and Computer Club is having a debate on the value of the RSGB.
Details from Ron, G3SVW, on 01619 693 999.

On Saturday 12 November Hornsea Amateur Radio Club is taking part in
the Club Calls contest. Contact Gordon MacNaught, G3WOV, on 01377 240
573.

NEWS FOR NORTHERN IRELAND No news items have been received for Northern
Ireland this week.

NEWS FOR SCOTLAND On Monday 7 November Borders Amateur Radio Society
commences its Foundation course. Details from MM0YLG on 07944 912 751.

On Tuesday 8 November Kilmarnock & Loudoun Amateur Radio Club is having
a club night. Contact Graham, MM3GDC, by email to
.

On Tuesday 8 November Livingston & District Amateur Radio Society is
having an operating evening. Details from Norman, on 07740 946 192.

On Wednesday 9 November Ayr Amateur Radio Group is having a
presentation on antennas for small gardens. Details from Tom Ferguson,
GM1OST, on 01292 532 088.

On Wednesday 9 November Lothians Radio Society is having a talk on how
the global positioning satellite system works by Andy Sinclair, GM7HUD.
Contact Andy Sinclair, by email to .

On Thursday 10 November Aberdeen Amateur Radio Society is having a
talk. More information from Lewis, GM4AJR, on 01224 575 663.

On Friday 11 November Borders Amateur Radio Society is having a talk on
soldering by Sandy Weddell, GM1JJF. Details from MM0YLG, on 07944 912
751.

NEWS FOR THE SOUTH EAST and EAST ANGLIA On Sunday 6 November Worthing &
District Amateur Radio Club is having a breakfast meeting at the Goring
Cafe. Contact Phil, G4UDU, on 01903 816 684.

On Monday 7 November Braintree & District Amateur Radio Society is
holding a junk sale. For more information contact John, M5AJB, on 01787
460 947.

On Monday 7 November Burnham Beeches Radio Club is working on its
construction project. Contact Dave, G4XDU, on 01628 625 720. On Monday
7 November East Kent Radio Society is having a talk on trapped dipoles
by George, G3NIR. Details from Karl Davies, M1DFM, on 01227 710 120.

On Monday 7 November Southdown Amateur Radio Society is holding its
Christmas dinner at the Toby. Details from John, G3DQY, on 01424 424
319.

On Monday 7 November Surrey Radio Contact Club is having a talk.
Contact John, G3MCX, on 02086 883 322.

On Tuesday 8 November Brede Steam Amateur Radio Society is at the
shack. For more information contact Steve, on 01424 720 815.

On Wednesday 9 November Fareham & District Amateur Radio Club is
holding an inter-club quiz, to which all local clubs are invited. More
information from Derek Clarkson, G4JLP, on 01329 823 405.

On Wednesday 9 November Norfolk Amateur Radio Club is taking part in
the RSGB 80m Club Sprint CW contest plus having an informal,
construction and shack evening. Details from Chris Danby, G0DWV, on
01603 898 678.

On Wednesday 9 November Southgate Amateur Radio Club is holding its
autumn junk sale. Contact David Sharp, M0XDS, by email to
.

On Wednesday 9 November Worthing & District Amateur Radio Club is
having a discussion evening. Contact Phil, G4UDU, on 01903 816 684.

On Thursday 10 November Bittern DX Group is having an informal meeting
at Pinewood Park Leisure Club, NR26 8TU. Details from Linda, G0AJJ, on
01692 404 154.

On Thursday 10 November Echelford Amateur Radio Society is having a
talk by Roger Western, G3SXW on his quick trip to Hungary, Montenegro &
Albania. Contact John, G4GSC, on 01784 451 898.

On Thursday 10 November Edgware & District Radio Society is having
short talks by members. More information from Mike, G4RNW, on 02089 500
658.

On Thursday 10 November Lowestoft & District PYE Amateur Radio Club is
having a club night at the shack. Details from Lee, 2E1LJL, on 01502
564 242.

On Thursday 10 November Reading & District Amateur Radio Club is
holding its construction contest, hosted by Robin Caine, G4IWS. Details
from Pete, G8FRC, on 01189 695 697.

On Friday 11 November Cambridge & District Amateur Radio Club is having
an introduction to time domain reflectometry by Mike, M0BLP. Contact
Ron, G3KBR, on 01223 501 712.

On Friday 11 November Itchen Valley Amateur Radio Club A DXpedition
presentation. Details from Liz, M0ACL, on 02380 254 599.

On Friday 11 November Mid-Sussex Amateur Radio Society is having a
radio night and construction contest. Contact Peter, G4AKG, on 01444
239 371.

On Friday 11 November Radio Society of Harrow is having a talk and demo
of the Rig Blaster Pro. More information from Linda, G7RJL, on 02083
868 586. On Friday 11 November Wimbledon & District Amateur Radio
Society is holding a discussion on licence training. Contact Andrew
Maish, G4ADM, on 02083 353 434.

On Saturday 12 November Newbury & District Amateur Radio Society is
taking part in the RSGB Club Calls contest. Contact Rob, G4LMW, on
01635 862 737.

On Saturday 12 November Norfolk Amateur Radio Club is participating in
the RSGB Club Calls contest. Details from Chris Danby, G0DWV, on 01603
898 678.

NEWS FOR THE SOUTH WEST On Tuesday 8 November Mid Somerset Amateur
Radio Club is having a talk by Roger Davis on his career in the RAF and
the BBC. Contact Nick, M6NJB, on 01749 346 320.

On Tuesday 8 November Plymouth Radio Club is allocating jobs for the
rally. Details from Chris, M0ZCP, on 07834 767 161.

On Tuesday 8 November Poldhu Amateur Radio Club is having a talk on
measuring VHF and UHF beam radiation patterns using Polarplot by Keith
Holland, G3MCD. Details online at www.gb2gm.org.

On Wednesday 9 November Thornbury & South Gloucestershire Amateur Radio
Club is on the air. Contact Tony, G0WMB, on 01454 417 048.

On Thursday 10 November Newquay and District Amateur Radio Society is
having a presentation by RSGB Regional Manager Pam Helliwell on the
proposed changes to the RSGB. The presentation will begin at 7.30pm at
Treviglas School, Newquay. Members of other clubs are welcome to
attend.

On Thursday 10 November South Bristol Amateur Radio Club starts its
Christmas raffle. Details from Andrew Jenner, G7KNA, on 07838 695 471.

On Thursday 10 November Swindon & District Amateur Radio Club is having
an activity night. Contact Den, M0ACM, on 07810 317 750.

On Thursday 10 November Yeovil Amateur Radio Club is having a talk on
how to make radio equipment by G3MYM. Contact Steve Crask, G7AHP, by
email to .

On Friday 11 November North Bristol Amateur Radio Club is having a talk
on HF loops by Chris, G0AQL & Charles, G4JQX. More information from
Dick on 01454 218 362.

On Friday 11 November Torbay Amateur Radio Society is having a natter
night. For more information contact Dave, G6FSP, by email to
.

NEWS FOR WALES On Monday 7 November Dragon Amateur Radio Club is
holding a discussion night. More information from Stewart Rolfe,
GW0ETF, on 07833 620 733.

On Thursday 10 November Aberystwyth & District Amateur Radio Society is
visiting the Museum of Power at Sarnau near Cardigan. Details from Ray,
GW7AGG, on 01970 611 853.

On Friday 11 November Newport Amateur Radio Society is having a talk on
how to connect, set up and operate a linear amp by Ross, GW3NWS. More
information from Ross Clare, GW3NWS, on 01633 880146.