Subject: rsgb gb2rs news 22nd november
Distribution: world
Organization: 5/10
X-Mailer: Simple NEWS 1.90 (ka9q DIS 1.18)
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 03:08:19 +0000

Good morning. It's Sunday the 22nd of November and here is the GB2RS news
broadcast, prepared by the Radio Society of Great Britain.

First the headlines:- The change of name from the London Wireless Society;
latest news from the Pentland South Pole Expedition; special news for all RAE
examiners: EMC and your licence: RLO for South Yorkshire - address correction.

Seventy years ago today, on the 22nd of November 1922 the name of the London
Wireless Society was changed to the Radio Society of Great Britain.

This week the latest news from the South Pole is that Sir Ranulph Fiennes has
rescued his companion Dr Michael Stroud from a deep crevasse a week after the
start of their expedition to make the first unsupported crossing of Antarctica
on foot. They are hoping to raise two Million Pounds for the Multiple
Sclerosis Society. Reports received up to Wednesday the 18th stated that both
men were safe and well as they continued across the dangerous crevassed area
of the Filchner Ice Shelf. Conditions were dreadful however with driving snow
and winds gusting up to 100 knots. They have now travelled 60 miles, to 79
degrees South and 43 degrees West, 20 miles further than the target they set
for the first week. At the expedition's base camp Morag Howell, GM0MUV, is
providing communications and will be on the amateur bands using the call
VP8CME. The walkers aim to complete the 2,200 mile trek in just 100 days,
dragging all their food and equipment on sleds weighing 420lbs each.

News now for RAE instructors:

HAREC stands for Harmonised Amateur Radio Examination Certificate. It is a
mechanism which enables a radio amateur to obtain a permanent licence in the
countries which have implemented the CEPT agreement (See the 1993 Callbook,
page 71). At the moment the CEPT T/R 61-01 recommendation allows the issue of
temporary reciprocal licences; a HAREC would take this a stage further and
permit the issue of permanent licences. It is necessary to make sure that all
amateurs in Europe have passed an examination which covers the same basic
areas of study. To ensure that this happens all syllabuses have to be
harmonised. To this end there has been an Addendum to the City and Guilds RAE
7650 syllabus. Tt is in section 5, Transmitters. The Examination objective;
the use of a valve as a power amplifier. Under Syllabus; Valves. Their
application as RF power amplifiers, advantages and disadvantages. Please note
that the assessment specification remains the same. In section 5 Transmitters
there will still be only 8 questions.

EMC (Electro-magnetic compatibility) and your Licence.

The conditions of the Amateur Radio Licence A and B and the Amateur Radio
Novice Licence A and B have been amended by the addition of a new paragraph.
This paragraph has been added to Note 1  of the Notes to Terms, Provisions and
Limitations Booklets BR68 and BR68a/N. The original proposed
Radiocommunications Agency paragraph which was studied by the RSGB EMC
Committee raised two main areas of concern. The first was that there was no
mention of the fact that although "CE" marked equipment will comply with the
new European immunity standards, it may still suffer breakthrough due to
inadequate installation or incorrect servicing. The second concerned field
strength. Although the EMC Committee acknowledges that circumstances may arise
when it is necessary for an amateur to reduce the field strength generated by
his or her station, it was not considered acceptable that any such reduction
should be down to the levels set out in the relevant European immunity
standards. Although these new immunity standards mean that "CE" marked
equipment should have a moderate level of immunity, the level of immunity
specified is relatively low compared to the field strengths which an amateur
station may generate. The original paragraph did not mention the possibility
of fitting filters or taking other steps to further improve the immunity of
"CE" marked equipment. The EMC Committee produced an amended paragraph which
was submitted to the R.A. As a result, the R.A. put forward a revised version
which accommodates the spirit of the EMC Committee suggestions.

Last week we gave the wrong address for the new RLO for South Yorkshire, his
correct address is; Alan Whitehead, G4JKW, Laburnum Cottage, 3 Darley Yard,
Worsbrough Dale, Barnsley S70 4SB. Telephone 0226 299031

Now some items of HF DX news from the weekly RSGB DX News Sheet which is
edited by Brendan McCartney, G4DYO.

First of all we must announce the death of Al Slater, G3FXB, on the 11th
November last. He will be well known to all keen DXers and a full obituary
will appear in a future issue of RadCom. From American Samoa, JA3JA and
JA3JM/AA5K will sign as KH8/JA3JA and AA5K/AH8 from Sunday the 29th of
November until Wednesday the 2nd of December, on all bands from 160 to 10
metres using CW, SSB and RTTY. From Belau, NJ1V and WV5S will sign KC6VV and
KC6SS from Wednesday the 25th, to Tuesday the 1st of December, on 80 to 10
metres. From Barbados, K4BAI will sign 8P9HT from Tuesday the 24th to Tuesday
the 1st of December. During the CQ WW Contest K4BAI will use the callsign
8P9Z. From Tasmania, the special callsign VI7AJT will be aired during November
only, to commemorate the discovery of Van Diemen Land by Abel Janson Tasman
some 350 years ago.

Rally news now and there are two events that we know of for today, Sunday, the
22nd:

The Bishop Auckland Radio Amateur Club's Radio and Computer Rally is being
held at the Spennymoor Leisure Centre, Spennymoor, Co Durham. This is a new
venue for this year's rally and is easy to find from the major routes through
the area, such as the A1(M). There is ample parking space, refreshments and
other amenities at the leisure centre.

The West Manchester Radio Club Winter Rally is being held at the Bolton Sports
and Exhibition Centre, Silverwell Street, Bolton. Doors open at 11.00am, or
10.30 for disabled visitors. There will be trade and clubs stands and a bring
and buy stall. Refreshments will be available.

A change now to a rally planned for next Saturday the 28th:

The Greater London Amateur Radio and Computer Show at Harrow, which was to
have taken place next Saturday, the 28th of November has been cancelled.

There is one event that we know of for next Sunday, the 29th:

The Coulsdon ATS Bazaar will be held at the Headquarters of the 4th Purley
Scout Group. Access to the site is via the public car park off Lion Green
Road, Coulsdon. Doors open at 10.00am. There will be the usual trade stands
and a flea market. Refreshments will be available. Talk-in will be on channel
S22 by G4FUR/P. Further details can be obtained from G6HC, by telephoning 081
684 0610.

Contest news:

Next weekend the CQ World-wide DX CW Contest takes place from 0000 on Saturday
the 28th, to 2400 on Sunday the 29th. All bands 160 to 10 metres will be used,
excluding the WARC bands. See October RadCom page 19 for brief information.

and some UHF Contest news:

The next RSGB 432MHz Cumulative Contest takes place on Monday the 30th,
between 2030 to 2300GMT. For further details on this event, see June RadCom
page 65.

Special events

During next weekend, for three days, beginning on Saturday the Scottish
Tourist Board Radio Amateur Expedition Group will be using the call sign GB6SA
to celebrate St Andrews Day. Other International St Andrews Day stations on
will be the St Petersburg Radio Club, callsign R1SA, the Aberdeen Amateur
Radio Society using the callsign GB0ASP and the Moscow Radio Club. Further
details from GM3MTH. Also during next weekend, Saturday the 28th and Sunday
the 29th the Whitman Amateur Radio Club in Massachusetts, USA, will air the
callsign WA1NPO. The station will operate from a site in Plimoth Plantation,
near Boston. For further details, see November's RadCom, page 15.

And now the solar factual data

This week not all the data is to hand but for the period 9th to 12th November,
saw a small magnetic storm at high latitudes on the 9th, otherwise HF
conditions remained good with no X or M flare activity reported. Sunspots have
meaned at 106 and the solar flux averaged 131 units. The geomagnetic field has
been unsettled all the period but was up to substorm levels at high latitudes
with an Ap index of 33 units on the 9th, the period averaged an Ap index of 20
units. The state has been nil - nothing to report. The radio quality indices
have been normal all the period except for the New York and Fort Collins
Boulder circuits which were down to poor at times. The aa indices as supplied
by the British Geological Survey for the period 3rd to 9th November gave a
daily average of 31.5 nanoTeslas, with the sub storm on the 9th being up to
102 nanoTeslas about K5 during the afternoon period.



Now the ionospheric data for Central France:

The F2 daytime critical frequencies at Poitiers as reported by Meudon averaged
11.7MHz, and the darkness hour lows 2.8MHz. There has been some other
phenomena reported every day together with blanketing sporadic E on the 10th.



Now the ionospheric data for the north:

The F2 daytime critical frequencies at Ekaterinberg averaged 9.7MHz and the
darkness hour lows 2.4MHz. Magnetic disturbances can vary considerably,
sometimes they affect the northern latitudes only and conversely at other
times only the mid latitudes. Sometimes during severe storms all latitudes are
affected including the Equatorial ring current, which due to the way the Earth
rotates goes very negative and pulls the ionosphere apart.



And lastly the solar forecast:

This week, the active side of the sun will start to rotate away, magnetic
activity may be unsettled up to the 25th but is then expected to become quiet.
Solar flux levels are expected to be about the 150s, Ionospheric MUFs during
daylight are expected to be around 30MHz, and darkness hour lows about 18MHz.

        And that's 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 R and G7 N W series, and Novice calls in the 20 A E and 21 B G 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.