Tech Arsenal 1/Tech Arsenal (Arsenal Computer).ISO/tek-20/rsgb0314.zip/RSGB0314.TXT

Text File | 1993-04-04 | 10KB | 165 lines

Good morning. It's Sunday the 14th of March and here is the GB2RS news
broadcast, prepared by the Radio Society of Great Britain.

First the headlines:- There's been more favourable publicity for amateur
radio; and we have news of a forthcoming Microwave Round Table.



This week, the national news media have continued to give favourable reports
of amateur radio being used inside Yugoslavia to assist the United Nations in
their humanitarian relief efforts. The RSGB heard this week of a UK amateur
who also managed to help. Jim Atherfold, G0FZB, of Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex,
was called on 20m by YU1ADJ requesting medicine which was urgently needed to
save the life of a young man in a Belgrade Hospital. He was able to pass this
message to the Red Cross for further action. A spin-off of this was a very
favourable local newspaper story which praised amateur radio, distanced
amateurs from eavesdropping scanner users, and listed the meeting times and
contact addresses of two local clubs. All in all, a fine effort. This is a
timely opportunity for a reminder that although the Amateur Radio Licences
prohibit the passing of third party traffic, the sort of message received by
G0FZB may be passed to an authorized government official. This would normally
be the Radiocommunications Agency (on 071 215 2171) who will see that it
reaches the appropriate destination.

The Southern Microwave Group will be holding a round table meeting at the
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Oxfordshire on Sunday the 21st of
March commencing at 10.00am. Attractions include a calibration and alignment
service, microwave component service, technical talks and a bring and buy
stall. Full catering facilities will be available. For more information
contact Mike, G3LYP on 0494 881298.

The RSGB's Amateur Radio Direction Finding Committee has a vacancy for someone
with an interest in VHF Fox Hunts who is keen to assist in the organising of
the National VHF D/F events. Applications and enquiries should go to the
committee chairman Brian Bristow, G4KBB, whose address is correct in the RSGB
Call Book.

The RSGB QSL Sub-Manager for the GW0, 5,6,7 and 8 series: Mr D C Green, GW3MRI
has now retired. In future all cards for the GW series will be dealt with by
Mr K Hudspeth, GW0ARK.

The Sussex Repeater Group voice repeaters, GB3HO on RB1 at Horsham and GB3WS
on R6 at Crawley, are now back on the air following re-engineering. Reports
will be welcomed by the Group, send to Mike Mundy, G0GNV.

Now some items of HF DX news from the weekly RSGB DX News Sheet which is
edited by Brendan McCartney, G4DYO. From Madagascar, DL7FT and DL7AFV will
sign 5R8DJ from now until Monday the 29th of March on all bands. Check 'usual
channels' on SSB and plus 5kHz up on CW. From Belize, AE0Q, KT0F and WN0B will
sign V31RY from Ambergirs Cay from Friday the 19th until Sunday the 28th,
mainly on RTTY but with some CW, taking in the BARTG RTTY Contest. From Iraq,
SP5AUC is active as YI9CW. The length of stay is not known. From Tuvalu,
JF1WQC will sign T20WQ, from Saturday the 20th to Tuesday the 23th of March on
all bands, using CW and SSB running 100W to an all band vertical. From Aruba,
AA4NC, will sign either P40NC or P40AA from Monday the 15th to Tuesday the
23rd on all bands 10 to 160 metres, using CW and SSB. From Cayman Islands,
W2HKM will be on as ZF2TX from now until Sunday the 21st. Check 21.300MHz and
28.495MHz SSB.

Rally news now, and we know of two events for today, Sunday the 14th and two
events for next Sunday the 21st:

Today, Sunday, is the final day of the London Amateur Radio and Computer Show
being held at the Picketts Lock Centre, Picketts Lock Lane, Edmonton, London
N9. Doors are open from 10.00am, and there are facilities for the disabled.
There are many suppliers of radio and computer equipment, an RSGB stand, a
bring and buy stall and a special interest group section. Ample car parking
space and refreshments are available. Talk-in will be on 2 metres and 70
centimetres. Also today, the Wythall Radio Club Rally is being held at Wythall
Park, Silver Street, Wythall. This is located near Birmingham, on the A435, 2
miles from junction 3 of the M42 Motorway. Doors open at 11.00am. There will
be the usual trade stands in three halls and a bring and buy stall run by the
club. Refreshments will be available and talk-in will be on channel S22.

Next Sunday, the 21st, the Norbreck Radio Rally, a Radio, Electronics and
Computing Exhibition is to be held at the Norbreck Castle Hotel Exhibition
Centre, Queens Promenade, North Shore, Blackpool. Doors open at 11.00am, or
10.45am for disabled visitors through a ramped entrance. There will be over
100 trade stands, Novice Licence details and practical demonstrations, an RSGB
stand and book stall, and a bring and buy stall. There will be free car
parking and a free shuttle service. Refreshments will be available. Talk-in is
to be on channel S22. Further details can be obtained from Peter Denton, G6CGF
by telephoning 051 630 5790. Also on Sunday the 21st, the Tiverton South West
Radio Club Rally will be held at Pannier Market, Tiverton, Devon. there is
easy access, only minutes from junction 27 of the M5 Motorway. Doors open at
10.00am. There will be the usual trade stands in two halls and a bring and buy
stall, There will be a mobile snack bar and free parking. Further displays and
full refreshments facilities are available in the club-room bar. Talk-in will
be on channel S22. Further details can be obtained from G4TSW, Mid Devon
Rally, PO Box 3, Tiverton, Devon.

Next the contest news:

The BARTG Spring RTTY contest is scheduled to take place from 0200 on Saturday
the 20th to 0200 on Monday the 22nd of March on the 3.5MHz to 28MHz bands.
Contact G3UFY or G4SKA for contest rules. On VHF, the fifth and final RSGB
70MHz Cumulative Contest takes place today, Sunday the 14th of March, from
1000 to 1200GMT. See December's RadCom page 61 for further details. Also on
four metres, the RSGB 70MHz Fixed Contest is scheduled to take place on Sunday
the 28th of March from 0900 to 1500GMT. See February's RadCom page 66 for
further details.

The Wrexham Amateur Radio Society will be using the callsign GC4WXM/P, from
the North East Wales Institute, Plas Coch College, Wrexham on Friday the 26th
of March. This is during their 'day of awareness raising' for the European
Community.

And now the solar factual data:

The period from the 1st to the 7th of March has seen some M-type flares
causing minor magnetic storms at high latitudes. Though the stratosphere
warming is declining it is still covering from 60 degrees north to the pole.
On the 2nd there was an M5.1/SF flare, and on the 6th M3.8 and M7.7/3B flares
together with a type 2 and 4 radio sweep. A minor proton event occurred on the
4th but only reached 17 particle flux units and quickly died out. The mean sun
spot count was 135 and solar flux levels increased every day from 132 on the
1st up to 167 units by the 6th. The average was 154 units for the period. The
geomagnetic Ap index was up to sub-storm levels of 24 units from the 1st to
the 4th, affecting mainly northern latitudes. It declined to quiet levels from
the 5th, with the period averaging 17 units. The state has been proton alert
and stratwarm up to the 5th, then nil. The radio quality indices were up to
very good on the 1st with the Fort Collins Boulder, Tokyo, and Canberra
circuits being up to excellent. However, levels declined generally from then
on and were back to normal by the 7th. It has been a good week for the HF
bands. The aa indices, as supplied by the British Geological Survey for the
period 23rd February to the 1st March, were quiet most of the time, with the
27th being very quiet, down to only 2 nanoTeslas at times. The daily levels
averaged 18.2 nanoTeslas about K2. The X-ray flux considerably increased from
B4.5 up to C1.0 by the 3rd but slowly declined from then on, returning to B3.5
by the 7th. The period averaged B6.5.

Now the ionospheric data for Central France:

The F2 daytime critical frequencies at Poitiers, as reported by Meudon,
averaged 9.8MHz and the darkness hour lows 3.2MHz. The daytime highs are now
being reached later up to 1500 hours some days, with the darkness hour lows
being mainly around 0600.

Now the ionospheric data for the north:

The F2 daytime critical frequencies at Ekaterinberg averaged 7.7MHz and the
darkness hour lows 3.0MHz. Though the X-ray flux and solar flux follow similar
patterns, there are times when massive bursts of X-rays do not show up on the
solar flux. These are usually precursors of pre-auroral enhancements on the HF
bands.

And lastly the solar forecast:

This week, the most active part of the sun will be rotating away. Solar flux
levels are expected to be at about the 120s. Magnetic activity is expected to
be quiet to just unsettled most of the time, but the passage of a coronal hole
towards the end of the period may cause some disturbance. Ionospheric levels
during the daylight are expected to be up to 30MHz with north/south paths
predominating. Darkness hours should be up to 18MHz.

        And that is 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 T G and
G7 O R series, and Novice calls in the 2 0 A E and 2 1  B O 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.