Subject: gb2rs news 27th december 1992
Distribution: world
Organization: 5/10
X-Mailer: Simple NEWS 1.90 (ka9q DIS 1.18)
Date: Fri, 25 Dec 1992 04:55:57 +0000

Good morning. It's Sunday the 27th of December and here is the GB2RS news
broadcast, prepared by the Radio Society of Great Britain.

First the headlines:- RSGB members have raised 4,500 for Albania; Raynet
groups have been in action in Peterborough; and the January RadCom has been
posted.

The RSGB Mencap Albania Appeal, launched last April, has raised more than
4,500 to help the mentally handicapped people in Albania. Full details,
including prize winners, appear in January's edition of Radio Communication.
The major prizes will be presented at a ceremony in early 1993 at which the
RSGB's cheque will also be handed over to Mencap.

The Pentland South Pole Expedition is still ahead of schedule. Each man has to
pull a sled which is now down to 300lb. The effort has lost 15lb body weight
per man. Ran Fiennes and Mike Stroud are still in good spirits and are due at
the South Pole in Mid January. Activity continues from Morag, GB4MSS/VP8 at
the Patriot Hills base camp. We are sure that all those listening to this
broadcast will join us in wishing the expedition all the very best for
Christmas and the New Year.

January's Radio Communication has now been posted to all RSGB members. It
includes a full description of the Licence changes regarding EMC, and gives
details of the Radiocommunications Agency's new EMC Leaflet, EMC and the Radio
Amateur. Details are also given of the latest licensing negotiations between
the RSGB and the RA and there is a full report of the meeting between the RA,
the City and Guilds and the RSGB to review the first year of the Novice
Licence.

On the 14th of December Raynet groups in the North Cambridgeshire Area were
alerted to a serious problem at the Peterborough General Hospital. Led by
Roger, G6CKR, of the Four Counties Raynet Group, communications were rapidly
restored within the Peterborough General Hospital where all telephone paging,
cardiac arrest alert and similar systems had failed. Later additional Raynet
operators were called in from Cambridge, Forest Heath, Leicester and many
other surrounding groups with groups further afield being put on standby. The
hospital systems returned to acceptable working condition the following
morning and the Raynet operation was stood down. However, the telephone
systems failed twice more that week and on both occasions Raynet installed
local communications and supported the hospital administration. Altogether in
excess of 675 man-hours and some 120 Raynet operators were involved in these
three operations.

Now some items of HF DX news from the weekly RSGB DX News Sheet which is
edited by Brendan McCartney, G4DYO. From Antigua, VE3BW will sign V2/VE3BW
from Friday the 1st of January until Friday the 29th of January, on all bands,
using mainly CW. From the Seychelles, I5JHW will sign S75S from Praslin Island
from Monday the 28th of December until Sunday the 10th of January, on all
bands but especially the WARC and LF bands, using SSB, CW and RTTY. From
Gabon, TR8NSY is active on 40m CW after 2200GMT. From New Caledonia, FK8CR is
now active on 80m for Europe around 1830GMT.

Rally news now and we know of no rallies planned until the 24th of January
1993.

Next a date for your diary:

The largest amateur radio exhibition in Europe, Ham Radio at Friedrichshafen,
Germany, will take place from Friday the 25th to Sunday the 27th of June.
February RadCom will contain full details of an organised trip from Britain to
visit this prestigious event.

Some HF Contest news now:

RSGB LF Cumulative Contest sessions take place as follows: The 7MHz event is
scheduled for Saturday the 2nd of January, from 1000 to 1200GMT. The 3.5MHz is
on Sunday the 3rd of January, from 1600 to 1800GMT. And 1.8MHz is on Monday
the 4th, from 2000 to 2200GMT. For further details see December's RadCom page
62. On the VHF front, there is still time to take part in the RSGB 70, 144 and
432MHz Fixed Station Contest, which started yesterday the 26th and finishes on
Tuesday the 29th of December. The contest runs each day from 1400 to 1600GMT.
See July RadCom for full details.

A reminder now to all Repeater Groups that if they do not wish to continue
with the RSGB's public liability insurance after the end of March 1993, they
must contact the RSGB's Repeater Management Group Chairman, Geoff Dover, G4AFJ
either direct or via RSGB HQ.

The Central Birmingham VHF repeater GB3BM has now closed down due to problems
of security at the site, and the repeater keeper has relinquished the
franchise. The franchises for GB3BM and GB3AM in South Birmingham are now
vacant and any group of radio amateurs is invited to contact the RSGB's
Repeater Management Group with a view to taking over either or both
franchises. Application should be in writing to the RMG Chairman, Geoff Dover,
G4AFJ, whose address is correct in the RSGB's Call Book. The Midland area
repeaters GB3BX, GB3CF, GB3MH and GB3WK are now on time clock operation, from
0700 to 1800GMT until further notice.

And now the solar factual data:

This week due to the Christmas holiday we have had to forego some data. For
the period 14th to 18th December with the active side of the sun looking our
way, solar flux levels have remained high. HF band conditions were good up to
the 17th, when a sudden storm commencement was recorded at Chambon La Foret,
with a minor magnetic storm being predicted for the 18th but little came of
it. A stratospheric warming was reported on the 15th over southern Siberia of
30 degrees, with the cold centre moving towards Greenland. Due to the recent
heavy cloud over Italy the sun spot data is not complete, but spots appeared
to mean about the 140s. No flares of any note have been reported. The solar
flux levels remained high and averaged 154 units. The geomagnetic Ap indices
were quiet up to the 17th when the SSC occurred which raised levels to
unsettled, giving an average of 11.8 units for the period. The state has been
nil, nothing to report, except the 'stratwarm'. The radio quality indices have
been normal throughout the period with the Boulder Fort Collins and Tokyo
circuits being up to excellent at times. The aa indices as reported by the
British Geological Survey for the period 8th to 14th December gave daily
averages of 27.4 nanoTeslas, about K3, with little change throughout the
period.

Now the ionospheric data for Central France:

The F2 daytime critical frequencies at Poitiers, as reported by Meudon, have
been remarkably steady and averaged 10.8MHz. The darkness hour lows averaged
2.9MHz, though some very early morning periods of spread F were reported
lasting up to 5 hours on some days.

Now the ionospheric data for the north:

The F2 daytime critical frequencies at Ekaterinberg have remained high and
averaged 10.6MHz, with the darkness hour lows averaging 2.9MHz. What price
forecasts? Solar cycle 22 showed the steepest sunspot rise of the past 13
cycles, the forecasters had a field day with the one-year-ahead predictions
being constantly updated to predict a very high or possibly the highest cycle.
It did not happen. Since then, repeated forecasts have been way out, and the
spread between the observed cycle and the predicted one has given the largest
spread of any cycle so far.



And lastly the solar forecast:

This week, the quieter side of the sun will be coming into view, with solar
flux levels are expected to be at about the 110s and quiet geomagnetic
activity. Ionospheric conditions are expected to be good, with MUFs up to
30MHz during daylight, and 14MHz for the darkness hours.

And that's the end of the solar information.


Finally in the main news, SSL, has informed the Society that as of last
Wednesday morning, the latest callsigns issued were in the G0 S V
and G7 N Y series, and Novice calls in the 20 A E and 21 B I 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,rec.radio.amateur.packet,rec.radio.shortwave