The Arsenal Files 6/The Arsenal Files 6 (Arsenal Computer).ISO/ham/rsgb0324.zip/RSGB0324.TXT

Text File | 1996-03-23 | 18KB | 439 lines

Good morning. It's Sunday the 24th of March and here is the GB2RS news
broadcast, prepared by the RSGB and intended for all radio amateurs and
short-wave listeners.

And we start with a reminder that the Barnsley and District Amateur
Radio Club is co-ordinating a coach trip to Friedrichshafen in June on
behalf of the RSGB. The Friedrichshafen 'Hamfest' is Europe's largest
amateur radio exhibition. The coach will depart on Wednesday the 26th of
June and return on Tuesday the 2nd of July and pick-ups can be arranged
at pre-determined locations en route. Places are allocated on a first
come, first served basis so contact the organiser, Ernie Bailey, G4LUE,
urgently if you want to go. He is available on 01226 716339, or 0836
748958, between 6.00 and 8.00pm.

"Kidlink '96" takes place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the 2nd, 3rd
and 4th of May. Schools are invited to put on stations so that
youngsters, especially those between the ages of 10 and 15, can use
amateur radio to communicate with their peers in this country and
overseas. For further details, contact Peter Daly, G0GTE, on 01438
724991.

Groups intending to take part in the RSGB's National Field Day contest
on the 1st and 2nd of June are reminded that they must register, by
sending details of the site to be used, by the 9th of April at the
latest. Send the details to David Hill, G4IQM, whose address is correct
in the RSGB Call Book. Please enclose an SAE if contest stationery or an
acknowledgement of entry is required. Listeners to this broadcast are
asked to remind their Club Secretaries of the 9th of April deadline. For
further details see page 4 of the RSGB Contesting Guide, which was
published in the September 1995 RadCom, or call David Hill, G4IQM, on
01293 882641 weekends or evenings.

Special event call GB2MTL is being used from the station of the late Ray
Parsons, G3MTL, today, Sunday the 24th of March. This marks the final
session of the "Lazy DX Net", which will be on 14184 kHz from 1330 UTC.
Ray operated the Lazy DX Net for around ten years, and he and his wife
have given their support for this last session from Ray's super station
in Westhoughton, Greater Manchester.

Now some items of HF DX news from the weekly RSGB DX News Sheet, which
is edited by Chris Page, G4BUE:

>From Tonga, LA9GY was planning to be active from the 16th of March to
the 4th of April, mainly CW, but with SSB activity in next weekend's CQ
WPX contest. He has requested the call A35GY.

>From the Malagasy Republic, Gerard, F2JD, is now active as 5R8EN. At
present he is using a longwire, but hopes to improve on this soon. He
will be on the air until September.

And from the Netherlands Antilles, OH6XY will be active as PJ2/OH6XY
from Curacao from Tuesday the 26th of March until the 7th of April. Look
for him as PJ9Y in the WPX SSB contest.

Next the Rally News:

The Pontefract and District Amateur Radio Society rally takes place
today, the 24th of March, at the Carleton Community Centre, Carleton,
near Pontefract. The rally features Morse tests on demand. Doors open at
11.00 am or 10.30 am for disabled visitors, and talk-in is on 2 metres
channel S22.

The Bournemouth Radio Society Annual Sale takes place at Kinson
Community Centre, Pelhams Park, Millhams Road, Kinson, Bournemouth
today, the 24th. Doors open at 10.30 am and talk-in will be on S22.

Next Sunday, the 31st of March, the Magnum Radio and Computer Rally
takes place at the Magnum Leisure Centre, Harbourside, Irvine,
Strathclyde. The event features the usual traders, an RSGB book stall
and membership information stand, and Morse tests on demand. Doors open
at 11.00 am. For further details, ring 01294 215457.

The Thames Valley Electronics Rally will take place at Kempton Park
Racecourse, Staines Road East, Sunbury on Thames, in Middlesex next
Sunday, the 31st. The event features retailers, antenna and accessory
suppliers and a bring and buy stall. Doors open at 10.30 am. For further
details phone Lucy Phillips on 01494 450504.

The Amateur Radio Caravan and Camping Club's next rally will be at
Milton Keynes, over the Easter weekend of the 4th to 8th of April. There
is no trading at ARCC rallies, but any amateur wishing to attend as a
caravanner or tent camper is invited to send an SAE for details and a
booking form. Booking forms must be returned at least one week before
the event. Write to the membership secretary, Alan Gard, G4LWA, whose
address is correct in the RSGB Call Book, or telephone [phone].

Many rallies now offer RSGB Morse Tests on demand. Candidates should
note that, although pre-booking is not required, they will need to bring
with them two passport type photographs and the test fee.

GB3HV, the Amateur TV Repeater at High Wycombe, now has a new
operational mode. During 23 centimetre contests it can be switched to
"contest mode". Through operation is inhibited along with the
information pages. Only the 15-minute identification is transmitted. The
change has been made to minimise interference to local 23 centimetre
contest operators. For further information please contact Mike, G8LES,
on 01420 563859.

Now for the HF contest news:

We know of no HF Contests this weekend. Next weekend, the CQ WPX SSB
Contest takes place for 48 hours from 0001 UTC on Saturday the 30th of
March. This contest is on all bands from 1.8 to 28 MHz, with the
exception of the three "WARC" bands. All stations can work any other
station, and the multiplier is the sum of all the different prefixes
contacted.

Next some VHF contest news:

The RSGB 70 MHz Fixed Station Contest is taking place today, the 24th of
March, from 0900 to 1300 UTC. The full rules were published in the RSGB
Contesting Guide in the September 1995 RadCom.

Before the solar factual data, here is an explanation from Neil Clarke,
G0CAS, of a couple of the terms which have recently been introduced in
this broadcast. Firstly, "Bz".

The new WIND spacecraft measures solar wind speeds, density in particles
per cubic centimetre, the sector structure - that is towards the sun, or
away from it - and Bz. Bz is the magnetic angle of the solar wind,
recorded in nanoTeslas from zero. As the earth's magnetic field runs in
a northward direction, coupling with the solar wind takes place when the
wind has a minus or southward orientation. The greater the negative
number of nanoTeslas, the more it couples and the more it disrupts the
ionosphere. If Bz is plus, that is northward, there is no coupling so
the outburst just passes us by.

Secondly, "plage". For some time after sunspots have decayed from the
solar disc the "magnetic footprint" associated with that group will
remain and may cause geomagnetic disturbances on the next solar
rotation.

And now the solar factual data:

The period from 11th to the 17th of March saw solar activity at very low
levels and the geomagnetic field up to "active" levels. Sunspot numbers
increased from 18 on the 11th to 27 on the 12th. After that, they
declined to end the period at 12, with a mean of 20. Solar flux levels
peaked at 73 units on the 12th but then declined slightly to 70 units on
the 15th. The average was 71 units. On the 11th a new sunspot group
produced frequent B class flares but as the group decayed it became less
flare-productive. Electron fluence levels increased from moderate levels
on the 11th to a high level.     X-Ray flux remained at A1 units
throughout. The 90-day solar flux average on the 17th was 73 units, one
unit up on last week.

Geomagnetic levels were at "active" levels on the 11th with an Ap index
of 26. Levels then declined and were "quiet" from the 14th, with an
average of Ap 13 units. The following data covers the period from the
5th to the 11th of March. The aa indices, as supplied by the British
Geological Survey, started at "quiet" levels up to the 9th, but then
increased to just "sub-storm" levels by the 11th, with 44 nanoTeslas
recorded. The average was 18.5 nanoTeslas, about K2. Solar wind speeds
were average, that is between 350 to 400 kilometres per second, and the
particle density increased from 8 particles per cubic centimetre to 20
particles per cubic centimetre on the 8th and 9th. The Bz was
predominantly southward on the 8th and northward on the 9th, with
maximum deflections of 7 nanoTeslas. For the rest of the period it was
at zero.

I'll repeat the figures: spots - 20, flux - 71, Ap - 13, X-Ray - A1.

Now the ionospheric data for Central France.

The F2 daytime critical frequencies, as reported by Meudon for the
period from the 8th to the 14th of March, saw little change. However,
they did increase to 8.5MHz on the 11th, giving the best daily figure
for some time. This did not last - by the following day levels had
collapsed to 6.8 MHz. The average was 6.3 MHz. The darkness hour lows
increased to 3.9MHz on the 10th, but averaged only 2.9 MHz. The daytime
highs took place between 1200 and 1900 with the darkness lows between
0300 and 0600.

And lastly the solar forecast:

This week the quiet side of the sun is expected to rotate into view. The
solar disc may become spotless on some days. Solar flux levels are
expected to decline to about the 70 mark later in the week. Geomagnetic
levels are expected to increase to "unsettled" between the 21st and
24th, and be at "quiet" levels the rest of the time. MUFs during
daylight hours are expected to be about 18MHz for the south, with
darkness hour lows about 10MHz. Figures are expected to be a few
Megahertz lower for the north.

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 allocated were in the G0 X-Ray
Alfa and G7 Whisky Lima series, and Novice calls in the 2 0 Alfa
November and 2 1 Echo Victor series.

Next, the local news.


NEWS FOR THE SOUTH EAST


Meetings for Tuesday the 26th of March:

Dorking and District Radio Society gathers for a talk by G7CND on
'Weather Satellite Systems'. For further details contact G3AEZ on 01306
631236.

Horndean and District Amateur Radio Club meets for a talk entitled
'Marine Radio' by Michael, G3JMG. Details from Stuart, G0FYX on 01705
472846.

Stevenage & District Amateur Radio Society has a project review night.
For details telephone [phone].

Verulam Amateur Radio Club meets for a talk on the Hubble Telescope by
Robert Forrest. For details contact Walter, G3PMF on 01923 262180.

Waterside Amateur Radio Society gathers for a talk by John, G0UUW. For
more information contact Bill, G1AEH on 01703 783170.


Meetings for Wednesday the 27th of March:

Cheshunt and District Amateur Radio Club has a quiz night. For more
details telephone [phone].

Colchester Radio Amateurs also have a quiz night. Further information
from Brian, G0GGM on 01206 822547.

Darenth Valley Radio Society has its Annual General Meeting. Telephone
01689 826846 for more details.

Farnborough and District Radio Society meets for the 'Ivan Hurst
Lecture'. More details from Andy, G4XYW on 01344 761184.

Worthing and District Amateur Radio Club meets for a talk on the
Internet by G7OIR. For details telephone [phone].


Meetings for Thursday the 28th of March:

Crowborough Amateur Radio Society has a video evening. Contact Pauline,
G7SPT on 01892 653782 for further details.

Echelford Amateur Radio Society has a quiz night. For details telephone
01344 843472.

Reading and District Amateur Radio Club has its Spring junk sale.
Contact Peter, G0PUB on 01734 617388 for more details.

Shefford and District Amateur Radio Society has a talk by G8NGZ entitled
'The Tait 500 on the Amateur Band'. Details from Paul on 01462 700618.

Southgate Amateur Radio Club has an on-the-air-evening. Contact Michael,
G0ANN on 01707 850146 for more details.

Three Counties Amateur Radio Club meets for a talk on 'Hand Global
Positioning Systems'. Telephone [phone] for more details.


Meetings for Friday the 29th of March:

Cheltenham Amateur Radio Association meets for a Microwaves talk by
Roger, G0UPU. Telephone [phone] for further information.

Maidstone YMCA Amateur Radio Society has an RAE talk on antennas.
Contact Graham, G4AXD on 01622 729462 for more details.

Radio Society of Harrow meets for a talk on PMR Conversion. For further
details telephone [phone] during evening hours.



NEWS FOR THE SOUTH WEST


Meetings for Tuesday the 26th of March:

Blackmore Vale Amateur Radio Society has an on-the-air evening. Contact
Stuart, G7JIF on 01747 838554 for more details.

RSGB City of Bristol Group meets for a talk on 'The Role of a QSL
Manager' by Phil, G3SWH. Contact Dave, G4NKT on 0117 9672124 for more
details.

Salisbury Amateur Radio Club has an on-the-air evening. For details
telephone [phone].


Meeting for Wednesday the 27th of March:

South Bristol Amateur Radio Club meets for a 'HF Operation
Demonstration'. For further details telephone [phone].


Meetings for Thursday the 28th of March:

Bristol Amateur Radio Club has an Amateur TV evening. Contact David,
G4ZBT on 0117 9654886 for more details.

Yeovil Amateur Radio Club has an on-the-air evening. For details contact
Cedric, G4JBL on 01258 473845.



NEWS FOR EAST ANGLIA


Meetings for Wednesday the 27th of March:

Braintree and District Amateur Radio Society has a quiz night. For more
information contact John, G1WQQ on 01787 460947.

Ipswich Radio Club has a Morse practice evening. For details contact
Andy, G7SMN on 01473 212891.

Norfolk Amateur Radio Club has an on-the-air evening. Telephone 01603
789792 for more information.


Meeting for Thursday the 28th of March:

Kings Lynn Amateur Radio Club meets for a junk and surplus equipment
sale. For more details telephone [phone].



NEWS FOR THE MIDLANDS


Meetings for Monday the 25th of March:

Leicester Radio Society has an 'Under a Tenner' Competition night.
Telephone [phone] for more details.

Stratford upon Avon and District Radio Society has a surplus equipment
sale. For further information telephone [phone].


Meetings for Tuesday the 26th of March:

Bromsgrove Amateur Radio Society gathers for a talk entitled 'The
History of Radio and Stereo'. Details from Barry, G0TPG on 01527 542266.

Buxton Radio Amateurs meets for a talk by Clive entitled 'Test
Equipment'. For details contact Derek, G4IHO on 01298 25506.

Mid-Warwickshire Amateur Radio Society has a surplus equipment and
magazine sale. Contact G8HRI on 01926 424465 for more details.


Meeting for Wednesday the 27th of March:

Telford and District Amateur Radio Society meets for its Annual General
Meeting. Contact Paul, G2RSA on 01952 261923 for more details.


Meetings for Thursday the 28th of March:

Oxford and District Amateur Radio Society has its Annual General
Meeting. Telephone [phone] for more details.

Salop Amateur Radio Society has a quiz night. Details from 1 Willington
Close, Little Harlescott Lane, Shrewsbury SY1 3RH.



NEWS FOR THE NORTH OF ENGLAND


Meetings for Monday the 25th of March:

RATEC meets for a talk entitled 'The Miller Effect and Neutralising' by
Harry, G2HW. Further details from Don, G4SFU on 0161 485 3912.

South Tyneside Amateur Radio Society gathers for a talk by Rob Mannion,
editor of Practical Wireless. Telephone [phone] for more details.

Thornton Cleveleys Amateur Radio Society has an auction of surplus
equipment. Telephone [phone] for details.


Meetings for Tuesday the 26th of March:

Liverpool and District Amateur Radio Society has a surplus sale.
Telephone [phone] for more details.

Manchester and District Amateur Radio Society has an open forum. Details
from Harold, G0VJZ on 0161 338 4412.

Meetings for Wednesday the 27th of March:

Mid Cheshire Amateur Radio Society meets for a software exchange and
programming night. For details telephone [phone].

Stockport Radio Society has a surplus equipment sale. For further
details telephone [phone].

Wirral and District Amateur Radio Club has a quiz night. Contact Bob,
G4NCI on 0151 606 8989.


Meetings for Thursday the 28th of March:

Keighley Amateur Radio Society meets for a junk sale. Further details
from Kath, G0RLO on 01274 496222.

York Radio Club has a new components and equipment sale in aid of the
RAIBC. Details from Paul Bulmer on 01904 671578.


Meetings for Friday the 29th of March:

Goole Radio and Electronics Society has an on-the-air evening. For
details telephone [phone].

South Manchester Radio Club has a 'Club Review Night' with G0BJK.
Telephone [phone] for details.


NEWS FOR SCOTLAND


Meeting for Tuesday the 26th of March:

Dundee Amateur Radio Club has a construction evening. For details
telephone [phone].


Meeting for Wednesday the 27th of March:

Lothians Radio Society pays a visit to the British Telecom Network
Operations Unit in Edinburgh. Those interested should telephone [phone]
3503.


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