Subject: rsgb gb2rs news 13th september 1992
Distribution: world
Organization: 5/10
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1992 23:50:25 +0000

Good morning. It's Sunday the 13th of September and here is the GB2RS news
broadcast, prepared by the Radio Society of Great Britain.

First the headlines:- The 1992 Young Amateur of the Year has been chosen; and
we have full details of this year's RSGB HF Convention.


This year's holder of the prestigious title Young Amateur of the Year is a
seventeen-year-old A-level student, Martin Saunders, G7JCJ, who comes from
Broadstone in Dorset. Amongst his achievements have been building a Packet
Cluster node to help local DXers, being elected Secretary of the Southern
Users Network Packet Group, being in charge of radio communications in his
scout group and solving radio-related problems on his school weather satellite
station. Martin is a member of the Flight refuelling Amateur Radio Society. He
receives prizes from the Radiocommunications Agency, the RSGB and the
professional and amateur radio industry. The runner up was sixteen-year-old
Neil Mothew, G7NGM. He is a very keen constructor and even designs his own
printed circuit boards. He is a member of the Loughton and District Amateur
Radio Society. The Young Amateur of the Year award is part of the RSGB's
Project YEAR initiative which aims to encourage youngsters into amateur radio
and, ultimately, into the electronics industry. This is the fifth year of the
award which has been generously supported by the Radiocommunications Agency
and industry. The prizes will be awarded at the RSGB's HF Convention.

This month sees the premier event in the HF DX Calendar:

The RSGB International HF and IOTA Convention will take place on Saturday and
Sunday, the 26th and 27th of September, at the ICL Beaumont Conference Centre,
Old Windsor, Berkshire, a new venue. Over 100 DX amateurs from over 20
countries, including the CIS, are planning to visit the UK to attend the
Convention which starts on the Saturday at 0915 with talks and lectures on the
RSGB's popular Islands On the Air (IOTA) award programme. A DX Dinner will be
held on the Saturday night. On Sunday, a full lecture programme includes
well-known personalities Peter Hart, Mike Grierson, Peter Chadwick and Ross
Clare, covering HF technical issues such as transceiver performance and
construction, SWR and linear amplifiers. EMC will be discussed by Robin
Page-Jones, the HF Contest Forum will tell you how to win HF NFD, HF trophies
will be presented, and the latest contest logging software will be on show.
The UK DX Packet Cluster Group will be demonstrating how to use this DX
Information system and David Rowley from Strumech will talk about selecting
and using your tower safely. There will be the opportunity to try on air the
latest HF equipment and the current versions of DX software. The lecture
stream includes talks on expeditions to the Pacific, the Indian Ocean and
Clipperton. There will also be an RSGB Bookstall and tea and coffee is free.
Overnight accommodation is available. For full details, see the September
edition of Radio Communication, page 15, or from Bob Whelan, G3PJT, on 0223
263137 or via the DX Cluster.

Now some items of HF DX news from the weekly RSGB DX News Sheet which is
edited by Brendan McCartney, G4DYO. From St Pierre and Miquelon, SP5SS will
use the callsign FP9SPM from today for 4 weeks, with emphasis on CW. From
Ecuador, HC3AP will be active on 80 metres daily until the end of September.
Operating times are from 0000 to 0500 GMT around the frequency 3780 to
3800kHz. From Brunei, G3TXF hopes to operate as V85XF from next Thursday the
17th to Sunday the 20th. Emphasis will be on the HF WARC bands, using CW only.
From Cocos Island, VK6XW will sign as VK9CW from now until the 26th of
September.

Rally news now and we know of four events for today Sunday the 13th.

The British Amateur Radio Teledata Group Rally is being held at the Sandown
Park Exhibition Centre, Esher, Surrey. The location is well signposted and is
some 10 minutes from junction 10 of the M25. Doors open at 10.30am. The event
features over 250 tables, including top companies, special interest groups and
a bring and buy. Refreshments will be available and there is a large parking
area. Talk-in channels are S22 and SU22.

The Lincoln Short Wave Club Hamfest is being held at the Lincolnshire
Showground and Exhibition Centre, which is 4 miles north of Lincoln on the A15
road to Scunthorpe. Doors open at 10.30am. There are all the usual trade
stands and a large bring and buy stall. Refreshments are available and talk-in
is on channel S22.

The Madley Satellite Earth Station Amateur Radio Group Radio Car Boot Rally is
being held at the Sports Ground in the Satellite Earth Station Complex,
located 7 miles south west of Hereford. Gates open at 9.30am. There will be
all the normal attractions, including a bring and buy stand. There is ample
room for free parking and picnicking, including a special parking area for
disabled visitors. Talk-in is on channel S22 via G7BTI.

The Telford Amateur Radio Rally is being held at the Telford Exhibition
Centre, Telford, Shropshire. Doors open at 10.30am. There are trade stands,
club and special interest groups stands and a bring and sell stall. There are
some very large free car parks and talk-in is on channel S22 and via GB3TF on
channel RB8.

There are two events for next Sunday the 20th of September.

The Centre of England Autumn Radio Computer and Electronics Rally is to be
held at the National Motorcycle Museum, Bickenhill, near the National
Exhibition Centre, off junction 6 of the M42. Doors open at 10.30am, or
10.00am for disabled visitors. The event features over 60 tables. Refreshments
will be available and there is a large parking area. Talk-in will be on
channel S22. Further details from G4UMF by telephoning 0952 598173.

The East of England Radio Rally will be held at the ICI Building, East of
England Showground, Peterborough. Doors will open at 10.30am, or 10.00am for
disabled visitors. There will be trade stands, a bring and buy stall and a
radio-and-electronic car boot sale. Refreshments will be available. Further
details can be obtained from G0CVZ by telephoning 0733 222588.

Contest news next:

Next Tuesday the 15th, the second of the RSGB QRS Cumulative contests takes
place. These events feature slow Morse and further details can be found in
July's RadCom. The next RSGB VHF event is the 144MHz CW Cumulative which runs
from 1930 to 2200 GMT next Wednesday the 16th. The RSGB 70MHz Trophy and SWL
Contest is on Sunday the 20th of September and runs from 0900 to 1600 GMT. See
June RadCom for further details.

Here is news of some of the special event stations on the air this week:

As part of the Orkney Science Festival, which lasts until next Thursday the
17th of September, the call sign GB2OWM, Orkney Wireless Museum, will be aired
between 2 and 5pm on weekdays and 10.00am to 5.00pm on weekends. The Museum is
situated in St Margaret's Hope on the Island of South Ronaldsay. Operation
will be on the HF bands. The RAFARS will be operating the special event
callsign GB1BOB, on Saturday the 19th of September, from RAF Leuchars during
the annual Battle of Britain Open Day. The stand will comprise an operating
position, static displays and an RAFARS stall. The Wrexham Amateur Radio
Society will be on the air during Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th, using
the Special callsign GB4WXM, from Erddig Hall, near Wrexham as part of the
Scottish Tourist Board's National Trust Celebrations. Operation will be on the
HF bands. The Manchester and District Amateur Radio Society will be airing the
Club callsign, GX3HOX next Sunday the 20th of September to celebrate the 100th
Anniversary of the Lancashire Cricket League, during the Rawtenstall Cricket
Club Fun Day. The venue is the Worswick Memorial Cricket Ground, Bacup Road,
Rawtenstall, Rossendale, Lancashire. Further details can be obtained from
G0SAD by telephoning 061 336 7469.


And now the solar factual data:

This week we have caught up with all of the missing data due to the holiday.
The extended period 27th of August to the 6th of September saw the more active
side of the sun coming into view. Generally solar activity was moderate up to
the 1st of September, then geomagnetic activity increased up to sub-storm
levels and by the 3rd full storm conditions prevailed. Levels were declining
by the 6th back to very unsettled. However an M4.0/1N flare occurred on the
5th followed by two more M flares and two X flares up to an X1.7/2B on the
6th. There have been numerous Sudden Ionospheric Disturbances and Short Wave
Fade-outs. Sun spot means over the period were 63. The solar flux levels
averaged 104 units, and had steadily risen from 94 units on the 27th of August
up to 139 units by the 6th of September. Geomagnetic activity was unsettled up
to the 1st of September, then by the 3rd had reached storm levels with an Ap
index of 53 units. This slowly declined by the 6th to unsettled levels of 17
units. However, further X flares on the 6th seem set to continue the disturbed
conditions. The radio quality indices were slightly below normal up to the 2nd
then collapsed to very poor by the 3rd and had not recovered by the 6th. The
aa indices, as supplied by the British Geological Survey for the period 25th
to 31st August, were quiet. The daily levels averaged only 15.4 nanoTeslas -
about K3. The 31st was very quiet with a reading of only 8.2 nanoTeslas. 

Now the ionospheric data for England and Wales:

The F2 daytime critical frequencies at Slough, as reported by Appleton,
averaged 6.7MHz but the 31st of August and 2nd of September were up to 8.0 and
9.1MHz. This dropped to only 5.9MHz by the 3rd of August with the disturbed
conditions. The darkness hour lows averaged 2.8MHz, but varied from 3.5 down
to 2.0MHz over the period.

Now the ionospheric data for the north:

We have only a small amount of Irkutsk data this week. The F2 daytime critical
frequencies at Irkutsk averaged 6.5MHz, and the darkness hour lows 2.3MHz. Due
to problems with the phone line between Slough and Appleton, the ionospheric
data from Slough is now being interpreted by computer program. This is why no
other phenomena such as Spread F, absorption, and so on, is being reported.


And lastly the solar forecast:

This week, the quieter side of the sun will be coming into view. Solar flux
levels are expected to be at about the 100s. Geomagnetic levels are expected
to be quiet at first, increasing to very unsettled by the 20th. Daytime
ionospheric levels are expected to reach 24MHz with north/south paths being
best. The darkness hour lows should be about 21MHz, but 14MHz should be best
for East/West paths around midnight.

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 J and G7 N P series, and Novice calls in the 2 0 A D and 
2 1 B B 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.