Subject: RSGB GB2RS news for the 8th November
Distribution: world
Organization: 5/10
X-Mailer: Simple NEWS 1.90 (ka9q DIS 1.18)
Date: Sat, 7 Nov 1992 08:06:48 +0000


Good morning. It's Sunday the 8th of November and here is the GB2RS news
broadcast, prepared by the Radio Society of Great Britain.

First the headlines:- A change of publicised date for the next Novice RAE;
some news for fans of VLF; and the IEE has a lecture in Bournemouth.

The Society have just being informed by City and Guilds of London Institute
that the next Novice Radio Amateur's examination, subject 773 will take place
on Monday the 14th of December and not the 7th as was previously notified to
the RSGB.

Anyone interested in the use of radio at VLF, that is below 150kHz, may like
to contact the Cave Radio and Electronics Group whose members use VLF to aid
the exploration, surveying and scientific research of caves and pot-holes. The
group publishes a quarterly journal which includes information on inductive
communication, antenna design and modulation methods. The Cave Radio and
Electronics Group can be contacted by writing to David Gibson at 12 Well House
Drive, Leeds LS8 4BX, or phoning him on 0532 481218.

The Royal Grammar School in Guildford, Surrey, was one of those chosen to
participate last year in Project JUNO. This involved them in an amateur radio
contacts with astronaut Helen Sharman on the space station Mir. The school was
recently privileged to receive a visit from Miss Sharman who gave an hour-long
talk about her experiences in space.

Members of the RSGB should have received the November edition of Radio
Communication and Annual Report by now. Please remember that Ballot papers for
council nominations must be received at RSGB Headquarters by 12 noon on the
30th of November. If you have not received your November RadCom or the
separate Annual Report please contact RSGB HQ as soon as possible.

The 2 metre Beacon GB3VHF at Wrotham, Kent was switched off on October 28th
due to a malfunction and is expected to be off-air for a few weeks more.

The Institution of Electrical Engineers presents an illustrated lecture
entitled 'Microsatellites' on Wednesday the 11th of November at 7.30 pm, to be
held at the Highcliff Hotel, St Michaels Road, West Cliff, Bournemouth. The
lecture will be given by Craig Underwood of the University of Surrey's Centre
for Satellite Engineering Research. For further details contact Mr F Donachie,
by telephoning 0202 404022.

On a lighter note, last Monday the 2nd of November, the wife of RSGB Council
Member Neil Lasher, G6HIU, presented him with a baby girl.

Now some items of HF DX news from the weekly RSGB DX News Sheet which is
edited by Brendan McCartney, G4DYO. From the Pacific, G4IUF will start his
activity on Wednesday the 11th of November. From 30 minutes before, until 30
minutes after British Isles sunrise he will be on 3785 and 3505kHz, then 7075
and 7005kHz then 10105 kHz from each location. It would be advisable to check
greyline paths from ZK2. From Canada, the special callsign VC350A will be
aired from the 17th to the 30th November to commemorate the 50th Anniversary
of the Listowel Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets. From Hawaii, AH6IO
will activate the Kalaupapu Peninsula from Friday the 13th to Sunday the 15th
of November. Operation on all bands from 160 through to 6 metres including the
WARC bands. From Antarctica, W6REC will sign KC4AAF from McMurdo Base, from
now until the 1st of February. On CW check the frequencies 3505, 7005, 14025,
21025 and 28025kHz, and for SSB the frequencies 7175 and 14180 to 14190kHz.

Rally news now, and we know of three rallies for today, Sunday the 8th of
November:

There is the Barnsley Amateur Radio Rally being held at Willowgarth Senior
High School, Brierley Road, Grimethorpe, Barnsley. It is located mid-way
between Pontefract and Barnsley, just off the main A628 Barnsley to Pontefract
Road. Doors open at 11.00am, 10.30 for disabled visitors, but please note that
due to restoration work the rally will not be suitable for wheelchair users.
There are the usual trade stands, plus over 20 radio clubs and specialised
group's stands, and a large bring and buy stall. The event also offers
catering facilities and parking on site. Talk-in will be on channel S22.

Next the MARS/Stockland Mobile Radio Rally which being held at the Stockland
Green Leisure Centre, Slade Road, Erdington, Birmingham. There will be trade
stands, a bring and buy stall and free car parking.

The Tyne and Wear Repeater Group Auction is being held at the Fencehouses
Community Centre, Fencehouses, near Chester-le-Street, Co Durham. Doors open
at 10.30am for booking in and the auction starts at 12 noon.

There is one event that we know of for next Sunday, the 15th:

This is Bridgend and District Amateur Radio Club Rally which is to be held at
the Bridgend Recreation Centre, Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan. From the M4 motorway,
use Junction 36. Doors open at 11.00am, or 10.30 for disabled visitors. There
will be a bring and buy stall and refreshments. Further details can be
obtained from GW3RVG, by telephoning 0656 860434.

HF Contest news next:

During next Saturday the 14th the RSGB Club Calls Contests ("CCC") takes place
from 2000 to 2400 GMT on 1900 to 1990kHz only. Further details can be found in
August's RadCom, on page 74. During next weekend three overseas contests are
scheduled to run: There is the JARL International DX Phone Contest from
2300GMT on Friday the 13th, to 2300GMT on Sunday the 15th. The OK
(Czechoslovakian) CW DX Contest runs from 1200GMT on Saturday the 14th to
1200GMT on Sunday 15th. And the Australian Ladies Amateur Radio Association
Contest is from 0001 to 2359 on the Saturday the 14th. For further details on
these overseas contests see November's RadCom, page 14.

Now the VHF Contest news:

Today, Sunday the 8th, the 144MHz RSGB CW 6 Hour Contest will run between 0800
to 1400GMT. The next RSGB's 432MHz Cumulative Contest takes place on Friday
the 13th, between 2030 to 2300GMT. For further details on these events, see
June RadCom page 65.

Special event station ON4UVW will be active next Tuesday and Wednesday, the
10th and 11th, to commemorate the end of the first world war.

And now the solar factual data:

A major lightning strike has seriously damaged the Slough ionosonde and
antenna. The observatory will be out of action for at least 2 weeks while
another ionosonde is installed and the antennas rebuilt. Meanwhile we will use
the French observatory at Poitiers which is at North 46 degrees on the
Greenwich Meridian. Levels are generally higher than Slough as it is about 380
miles farther south.

The period 26th of October to the 1st of November has seen considerable flare
activity, there were 7 M flares and 1 X. The largest was an X1.7/2B on the
30th together with M4.5/2B on the 26th and an M3.2/2N on the 27th. A proton
event reaching 2,700 particle flux units commenced on the 30th, with a small
mag storm and ionospheric disturbance. An alert was issued on the 1st of
November predicting further mag storms and proton events. Sun spot counts rose
to 243 on the 28th, the highest number since last February, and meaned about
the 170s. Solar flux levels rose with the flare activity and averaged 162
units, the highest level since last July. The geomagnetic activity has risen
to sub storm level with Ap indices of 33 units on the 27th and 32 units on the
29th. The period averaged 20.7 units. The radio quality indices dropped from
excellent on the 26th down to below normal by the 29th, with the Canberra and
Fort Collins Boulder circuits being very poor, but most circuits were
recovering by the 1st. The aa indices, as supplied by the British Geological
Survey for the period 20th to 25th October, were very quiet. The daily
averages only reached 13.6 nanoTeslas with some periods down to only 2
nanoTeslas. The meaned sun spot count for October was RI 88.3 with a maximum
of 131 on the 28th and a minimum of 36 on the 13th. The smoothed count for
April 1992 is 103.1 +/- 5.

Now the ionospheric data for Central France:

The F2 daytime critical frequencies at Poitiers, as reported by Meudon,
averaged 11.6MHz, but declined over the period from 12.2MHz down to 11.1MHz.
It is estimated that these levels are about 1MHz higher than would have been
reported by Slough. The darkness hour lows averaged 3.1MHz, about 500kHz
higher than Slough.

Now the ionospheric data for the north:

The F2 daytime critical frequencies at Ekaterinberg averaged 9.8MHz, and the
darkness hour lows 3.3MHz. Solar cycle 22 showed the steepest sunspot rise of
the past 13 cycles. This led to forecasts of a very high, or possibly the
highest, peak. In fact this did not happen. The decline so far has been very
rapid both in spots and solar flux levels. The minimum is forecast for mid
1996. However the recent considerable increase in activity may completely
upset this.

And lastly the solar forecast:

This week, the active side of the sun will be coming into view, with solar
flux levels about the 130s. However, the passage of coronal holes at the
beginning of the week may increase geomagnetic levels to unsettled.
Ionospheric MUFs during daylight should reach 30MHz, with the darkness hour
lows being up to 18MHz.

And that is the end of the solar information.

Finally in the main news, the licence issuing agency, SSL, has informed the
Society that as of last Wednesday morning, the latest callsigns issued were in
the G0 S Q and G7 N Vr series, and Novice calls in the 20 A D and
21 B D series. .

You're listening to GB2RS, the news broadcasting service of the Radio Society
of Great Britain, transmitting in the 80, 40, 6 and 2 metre bands.


Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc