Good morning. It's Sunday the 10th of April and here is the GB2RS
news broadcast, prepared by the Radio Society of Great Britain.

First the headlines:- Look out for Scottish stations next week-
end; repeaters set to close down; and attention anyone running a
station to celebrate the centenary of Parish Councils.

Next Saturday and Sunday, the 16th and 17th, is Scottish Activity
Weekend. This event, run by the Scottish Tourist Board (Radio
Amateur) Expedition Group, aims to encourage activity by Scottish
radio amateurs and to create a worldwide interest in contacts
with Scottish stations. The Scottish Century Award is available
and further details can be obtained from Robbie, GM4UQG whose
address is correct in the RSGB Call Book. All GM, GS and 2M
stations are invited to participate.

Now an urgent message for repeater keepers and users. The Radio-
communications Agency has stipulated that each keeper must inform
the Amateur Radio Section at RSGB Headquarters in February each
year that he wishes his Notice of Variation to remain in force
for the year commencing the 1st of April. In Mid-March a letter
was sent to keepers who had not responded, and no reply has been
received from the keepers of repeaters: GB3AH, GB3LW, GB3NF,
GB3OH, GB3PA, GB3TN and GB3WB. If no letter of continuation is
received at RSGB Headquarters by next Thursday, the 14th of
April, then the repeater will be unlicensed and must be closed
down.
It is therefore vital that keepers respond promptly to this
request. Repeater users may wish to check that the keeper of
their local repeater has responded.

Parish Councils in England and Wales celebrate their Centenary in
June. Will those setting up Special Event Stations in connection
with these celebrations consider operating over the weekend of
Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th of June to ensure maximum
contact with other parishes. A common date will facilitate the
exchange of messages between Council Chairmen and others. For
further details contact R A Bastow, G3BAC, by telephone on 0474
812049, or write to his address which is correct in the RSGB Call
Book.

We are very sorry to have to report that the RSGB EMC Coordinator
for South Wales passed away last week. Any members whose problems
were being dealt with by Charles Barry, GW3BUT, should now con-
tact another co-ordinator, or telephone the RSGB EMC Committee
Chairman on 0277 218531.

RSGB Committees meeting this week include the VHF Contests Com-
mittee who meet in London on Wednesday the 13th of April.

Now some items of HF DX news from the weekly RSGB DX News Sheet
which is edited by Brendan McCartney, G4DYO.
From Anguilla, KB8WC, N8LXS and KO8O will sign VP2EOH
from Monday the 18th until Wednesday the 20th of April inclusive.
From the Dodecanese Islands, F5MKD, F5PWH and F1OET will
sign SV5/own call from Rhodes from Saturday the 23rd until Satur-
day the 29th of April. Operation will be SSB only on 10 - 40
metres, excluding WARC bands.

And from St Christopher/Nevis, KB8WC, N8LXS and KO8O will
sign V47WC on SSB and V47XS on CW from Friday the 22nd until
Wednesday the 27th of April. Emphasis will be on 40 metres CW.

Rally news now:

Now the Rallies for today Sunday the 10th of April:

The Leiston Amateur Radio Club Car Boot Sale is being
held at the Solar Car Park, off Sizewell Road, Leiston, Suffolk.
Doors open at 10am. This event is a radio-oriented car boot sale.

The Lough Erne Amateur Radio Club Mobile Rally is being
held at the Killyhelvin Hotel, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh. Doors
open at 12 noon. The event features trade stands and a bring and
buy stall. Talk-in will be on channel S22 by GI0LEC.

The Swansea Amateur Radio Society Rally is being held at
the Swansea Leisure Centre, situated on the Swansea/Mumbles coast
road, the A4067. Doors open at 10.30am. The event features trade
stands, repeater group stands, operational HF and VHF stations
and a bring and buy stall. Refreshments will be available and
talk-in by GB2SWR on channel S22.

Now the Rallies for next weekend.

On Saturday the 16th the Spring All Micro Show, Radio
Rally and Electronics Fair is to be held at the Bingly Hall,
Staffordshire Showground, Weston Road, Stafford. Located off the
A518 Stafford/Uttoxeter Road, it is signposted from junction 14
on the M6 motorway. Doors open at 10am. This event features many
stands covering computers, software, books, components hardware,
as well as radio and satellite stands and a bring and buy stall.
Refreshments will be available. Further details can be obtained
by telephoning 0473 272002.

And now the events for Sunday the 17th of April:

The Bury Radio Society Radio Rally is to be held at the
Castle Centre, Bolton Street, Bury, Lancs. Doors open at 11am, or
10.30 for disabled visitors. The event features trade stands and
a bring and buy stall. Talk-in will be on two metres, channel
S22. Further details from G4KLT, Tel: 061 762 9308.

The second event on the 17th is the Cambridge Repeater
Group Amateur Radio Rally which is to be held at the Philips
Telecom Catering Centre, St Andrews Road, Chesterton, Cambridge.
Doors open at 10.30am. The event features trade stands, a bring
and buy stall and the usual Auction. Refreshments will be avail-
able. For further details contact Darren Salter on 0223 358985
extension 3265 during working hours.

The third and final event on the 17th is the Marske-by-
the Sea Radio Rally which is to be held at the Marske Leisure
Centre, High Street, Marske-by-the-Sea, near Saltburn, Cleveland.
Doors open at 11am. The event features the usual traders and a
bring and buy stall. Refreshments will be available. For further
details contact Alister, G4OLK on 0642 475671.

HF contest news now:

The RSGB RoPoCo-1 Contest take place today, Sunday the
10th of April, from 0700 to 0900 UTC between 3.520 - 3.570MHz, CW
only. The contest is rather complex so participants are advised
to consult the rules which can be found in the March edition of
Radio Communication.

The second in this year's series of RSGB QRS (Slow Morse)
Cumulative Contests will take place next Wednesday the 13th of
April from 1900 to 2030 UTC between 3.540 - 3.580MHz. See April
RadCom page 8, for further details and January's RadCom, page 83
for the rules.

Clubs wishing to enter the RSGB HF National Field Day
should note that the deadline for registration is Saturday the
23rd of April. Further information can be found on page 82 of the
February edition of RadCom.

The RSGB Low Power Contest will take place next Sunday
the 17th of April from 0700 to 1100 UTC between 3.510 - 3.560MHz
and 7.010 - 7.040MHz on CW. See February RadCom, for the rules
and further details.

Next some VHF contest news:

The first of a series of RSGB 24GHz Summer Cumulative
Contests takes place today from 0900 -2100 UTC. The rules can be
found on page 82 of April's RadCom.

The RSGB 1.3 and 2.3GHz Fixed Station and Listeners
Contest takes place today Sunday the 10th from 1700 to 2100 UTC.
Rules are in February's RadCom.

The 70 Centimetre Trophy Contest is scheduled to take
place on Saturday the 7th of May from 1400 to 2200 UTC. Starting
at the same time is the 432MHz to 24GHz Contest which is a 24-
hour event. See February RadCom, page 83 for further details of
both events.

Some Special event stations active this month, include:

GB4CRO, Cave Rescue Organisation, will be aired by the
Central Lancs Amateur Radio Club from Friday the 29th of April
until Monday the 2nd of May. For some of the time, operation will
be from the White Scar Cave, using external aerials on 20, 40 and
80 metres. For further details contact Jack, G0FQN, on 0772
423741.

GB0XXV, will be used from April until the end of Septem-
ber to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Thornton Cleveleys
Amateur Radio Society. The station will operational on HF, VHF
and UHF, with G4ATH on 160 metres and G6GMW on VHF and UHF. For
further details contact G8RDP, whose address is correct in the
RSGB Call Book.

And now the solar factual data for the period the 28th March to
the 3rd of April:

Due to the holiday we are a bit short of some data. Solar
activity has been very quiet, with spot counts dropping to zero
on the 2nd and 3rd of April. No flares have been reported but the
expected magnetic storms due to coronal holes duly arrived.

The sunspot indices meaned about the 30s, though the 2nd
and 3rd were down to zero. The last time zeros were recorded was
September 1993. Solar flux levels are continuing to decline from
88 units on the 28th down to 77 units by the 3rd of April. The
average for the period was 83 units. The 90 day flux mean on the
2nd of April was 100 units.

The geomagnetic levels were quiet up to the 1st of April
when, due to an eruptive prominence and the passage of coronal
holes, a major magnetic storm developed raising the Ap index to
76 units by the 3rd. The period averaged an Ap index figure of 21
units. The state has been 'Strat warm' over polar regions, 'd-
eclining' towards the 2nd, then 'major mag storm in progress'.
The daily averages of the aa indices for the 22nd to the 28th of
March were 27.2 nanoTeslas, about K3. The 26th and 27th were
quiet days with periods down to 5 and 8 nanoTeslas. The X-Ray
flux has continued to decline with the period averaging only A5.5
units. The 3rd of April was down to only A2.4 units, the lowest
level since September 1993.

I'll repeat the figures. Spots - 30; Flux - 83; Ap index
- 21; X-ray flux - A5.5.

Now the ionospheric data for Central France:
Due to the holiday we have only data for the 28th to the
30th. For that period the F2 daytime critical frequencies at
Poitiers, as reported by Meudon, averaged 7.3MHz and the darkness
hour lows 3.7MHz. The highs are now anywhere between 11.00 and
17.00 hours, but the darkness hour lows are centred on 05.00
hours.

I'll repeat the figures. Highs - 7.3MHz; lows - 3.7MHz.

Now the ionospheric data for the north:
The F2 daytime critical frequencies at Ekaterinberg
averaged 6.5MHz and the darkness hour lows 3.4MHz.

I'll repeat the figures: Highs - 6.5MHz; lows - 3.4MHz.

And the solar forecast:

This week the quiet side of the sun will be looking our
way, and the magnetic storms should have died down by now. Solar
flux levels are expected to be about the 90s. Geomagnetic levels
are expected do be just unsettled with Ap indices in the 20s.
Ionospheric MUFs in the south during daylight are expected to be
about 24MHz and the darkness hours 7.0MHz. North/south paths will
be predominant. The seasonal changes are now affecting east/west
paths, which will be well down on these levels. For northern
stations daytime MUFs could be about 21MHz and darkness hours
about 7.0MHz.

We have been asked what the lowest solar flux levels are likely
to be at solar minimum. The lowest monthly average during the
past four cycles was 67 units in July 1964, the other cycles have
only varied from this by very small amounts. The lowest X-Ray
flux levels expected are not known, as this data has only been
available in recent years.

And that's the end of this week's 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 Uniform Romeo and G7 Sierra Golf series, and Novice calls in
the 2 0 Alpha Hotel and 2 1 Charlie Uniform series.

And that's the end of this week's GB2RS news broadcast, which was
prepared by the Radio Society of Great Britain.