WADARC  –  Boldly  we lead so that others may follow.

 

 

WEEKLY BULLETIN  – 6 January 2017

 

THE PAST WEEK  – 

*

Wed. Saw a cheerful return to normality with a well attended club meeting..

 

Thurs. Conditions for the 40m net were ‘frustrating’ as our more distant members faded in and out.

 

***************************

Rallies this weekend

 

None Known to me.

 

*********************

 

THIS WEEKEND ON THE RADIO

The ARRL RTTY Roundup,

 

Kid’s Day SSB Contest,

 

 EUCW 160-Metre CW Contest, ( details at  EuCW 160m )

 

EuCW 160m

 

NCCC RTTY Sprint,

 

QRP 80-Meter CW Fox Hunt,

 

NCCC CW Sprint,

 

PODXS 070 Club PSKFest,

 

SKCC Weekend CW Sprintathon,

 

World Wide PMC Contest

 

Original QRP Contest

 

are all arranged for your interest and cw practice  for this first weekend of the new year. see  WA7BNM website for details

 

*************************

CLUB EVENTS in January  Wed. 11th Talk about “The Sun” by Chris Suddell . 7.30 for 8 [  Whether  tabloid or  spheroid is a secret.! maybe a Coronal Eruption on page 3 ? ]

• Wed, 18th On the air evening
• Wed. 25th  January:  Soldiering teach-in

******************

 

By way of a change, those of you who “collect”  islands may be interested in

 

Island On The Air activities: (IOTA)

 

Note : IOTA-preferred frequencies are :

CW: 28040 24920 21040 18098 14040 10114 7030 3530 kHz
SSB: 28560 28460 24950 21260 18128 14260 7055 3760 kHz

 

 

AN-010, various, South Shetland Islands: OA0MP will be operating from the Machu Picchu Antartic Base (King George Island) during the 24th Peruvian Research Expedition. More information to follow. QSL via OA4O.

 

SA-028; PY2, Sao Paulo State East group: Willian/PY2XIZ, Francisco/PY2ALC, and Luiz/PU2ULN will be activating Couves Island (DIB SP022) between Jan. 7 (11z) and Jan. 8 (14z) with the call ZV2CV. QRV on 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10m (SSB, CW, digital modes). QSL via PY2XIZ (d) or bureau, LoTW (after 6 months).

 

SA-043; CE7, Alsen Region North group: Domingo/CE1DY, Mauricio/CE7KF, Marco/CE1TBN, Cesar/CA5GRF, and Bruno/CE7PGO are going to operate from Ascension Island, Guaitecas Archipelago (WW Loc. FK36dc) with the call XR7T between the 10th and 17th. QRV on HF on SSB and digital modes. QSL via CE7PGO (d/B), LoTW, OQRS.

 

DX opportunities in January

 

January
2017 Jan02	2017 Jan11	Maldives	8Q7AZ	DL8AZ	DXNews 20161212	By DL8AZ fm Meeru I (IOTA AS-013, MJ64uk); 40-10m; SSB
2017 Jan03	2017 Jan21	Laos	XW4XR	LotW	TDDX 20161209	By AA4XR fm Vientiane; 160-10m; CW RTTY JT65; QSL also OK via E21EIC
2017 Jan04	2017 Jan22	Micronesia	V63		DXW.Net 20160912	By JA3ARJ as V63ARJ, JH3LSS as V63LSS, JA3AVO JH3PBL W7AYA likewise fm Pohnpei; 160-6m; CW SSB + digital
2017 Jan05	2017 Jan09	South Cook Is	E51AMF	LotW	DXW.Net 20160730	By K7ADD fm Rarotonga I (IOTA OC-013); 80-10m, perhaps 160m; SSB RTTY; 1.5kw; verticals and wires near salt water; QSL also OK via K7ADD direct, Club Log, eQSL

 

**************

HF forecasting

 

Try :

 

VOACAP Online – professional-grade high-frequency (3-30 MHz) point-to-point propagation predictions

 

**************

Radio Broadcasting News

 

Norway is to become the first country to shut down its FM radio network, despite concerns that millions are not ready for the switch to digital.

Critics have warned it is both risky and unpopular, not least because an estimated two million cars on Norwegian roads are not equipped with DAB receivers.

There are also fears that elderly and vulnerable people, often cut off by fjords and mountains, may be left unable to receive emergency warnings – traditionally broadcast on FM.

OPRESSION.!  A poll by a national newspaper in December found that 66% of Norwegians were opposed to the switchover, and only 17% were in favour.  The change is being pushed through regardless, !

The northern city of Bodoe will be first to go DAB-only on Wednesday.

Norway’s parliament voted in favour of switching off FM radio after hearing it would lead to a greater choice of radio stations, as well as clearer sound. But Ib Thomsen, an MP from the Progress Party, said:

 

“We are simply not ready for this yet.  “There are two million cars on Norwegian roads that don’t have DAB receivers, and millions of radios in Norwegian homes will stop working when the FM network is switched off. So there is definitely a safety concern.”

 

Ole Joergen, head of Digital Radio Norway, has admitted that cars will be the “biggest challenge” because a good digital adapter for an FM car radio costs about 1,500 Norwegian crowns (£142).

Other countries will be watching with great interest, with Switzerland planning to retire its FM network in 2020.

Bad idea.

 The UK government says it will consider a switchover once 50% of listeners are using a digital radio – a milestone which analysts say ( how do they know? ) could be reached by the end of this year.

Comment: I’m still on Long Wave ! If You Use a DAB radio DO NOT tell anyone !. (G3GVB)

*************************

Of course, you’ll need DAB  🙁  to listen to  LBC  – Why LBC ? Read on.:

 

Posted by Roy Martin

Nigel Farage has signed up for a daily radio show on Global’s LBC, starting next week.

He’ll be on-air Monday to Thursday from 7pm for one hour with The Nigel Farage Show, including opinions, callers, reaction to the stories of the day and Farage’s nightly Final Thought.

Nigel will also be taking the show on the road, broadcasting from across the UK, Europe and the USA as he invites listeners to share their views.

Nigel is no stranger to the station, having covered shows in the past and appeared with Nick Ferrari on Breakfast over the last couple of years.

James Rea, LBC’s Managing Editor, added: “With Brexit and the inauguration of President Elect Trump, Nigel Farage is the man at the centre of the two biggest stories this year. He is a powerful communicator and has proved himself as a natural broadcaster. With his new nightly show, we look forward to him joining the LBC team next week.”

Hear more radio industry news like this at the top of the hour on inRadio

******************

The weekly message:

Get out of bed, you lazy so-and-so’s, to join the Sunday morning 80 m net at 07.30 on 3712 .

 

BRYANGVB

Hello Everyone,

I and the committee hopes everyone had an amazing Christmas and fun New Year’s Eve.

I want to thank everyone for their support to the club during 2016.

May 2017 bring everyone happiness and prosperity.

Regards

Andrew Cheeseman, G1VUP

 

WADARC  –  Boldly  we lead so that others may follow.

WEEKLY BULLETIN  –  30 December 2016

 

THE PAST WEEK  – 

 

Your scribe was in faraway Kent on a family visit for several days so everything went to pot around here.   .;-(

Sloth and frivolity everywhere, nothing much happened

 

The SAQ transmission on 17.2 kHz was not well received by the only member who tried. Other clubs reported clear reception as far away as USA , Alaska, Seychelles ….(you’d think Lancing UK could make an effort)

 

Grimeton Radio/SAQ Transmission on 24 December: 

 

vvv vvv vvv de saq saq saq ……
cq cq cq de saq saq saq =
this is grimeton radio/saq in a transmission using the alexanderson 200 kw alternator on 17.2 khz =
we sincerely wish you all a merry christmas and a happy new year=
signed : the world heritage at grimeton and the alexander-grimeton veteranradios vaenner association a^r =
for qsl info please read our website : http://www.alexander.n.se ii http://www.alexander.n.se =
de saq saq saq s^k

 

***

 

Wed. It was disappointing that 160 m net was so thinly supported in view of the success a week previously

.

Thurs. ditto on 40m .

 

 

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Rallies this weekend

 

None

 

*********************

 

On the radio this weekend

 

 Beware the period 00.05 to 01.00 Sunday  in each time zone.

 

(drunks send very peculiar messages )

 

*************************

 

 

Forthcoming CLUB EVENTS HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR READERS Sunday Hungover Breakfast  (Don’t  talk too loudly)- Sun 1st January 2017 – 9:00 am Club Evening – ( Note : this is Committee-speak for ‘can’t think of anything’)   Wed 4th January – 7.30 for 8 Club Evening –  Wed 11th January – 7.30 for 8 Talk about “The Sun” by Chris Suddell Wed. 18th Jan. 7.30 for 8 (We still don’t know if this is the tabloid or the spheroid)

• Wed. 25th  January:  Soldiering teach-in

After that is still the subject of some cogitation.

 

 

******************

 

 

Danish Amateur Radio group active from Greenland

 

Members of the Experimenterende Danske Radioamatører (EDR) [ why can’t our club have a romantic name like that] will be active as OZ90EDR, OX90EDR and 5P90EDR from Greenland (NA-018) throughout the year 2017.

The special event callsigns are to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Danish Amateur Radio organization.

Even though activity will take place throughout 2017, the main activity will be during February 15th-May 15th 2017, and August 15th-November 15th, 2017.

Operations will be on all bands including the WARC bands and on all modes.

On JT modes the callsign OZ7D will be used. ONLY QSOs with OZ7D in JT modes are valid for the EDR award. Sometime during the year one may work the special “joker” call OV90EDR. This is also valid for the EDR award.

QSL Manager is OZ1ACB. All QSOs will be verified via LoTW and eQSL. NO BUREAU QSLS.

 

DX opportunities in January

 

January
2017 Jan01	2017 Jan07	Qatar	A70X	M0OXO	DXW.Net 20161123	By a team fm Al Safliyah I (IOTA AS-088); HF; SSB CW + digital
2017 Jan01	2017 Jan09	Aruba	P49X	LotW	TDDX 20161221	By W0YK; HF; CW SSB RTTY; QRV for ARRL RTTY Roundup; QSL also OK via Club Log
2017 Jan02	2017 Jan11	Maldives	8Q7AZ	DL8AZ	DXNews 20161212	By DL8AZ fm Meeru I (IOTA AS-013, MJ64uk); 40-10m; SSB
2017 Jan03	2017 Jan21	Laos	XW4XR	LotW	TDDX 20161209	By AA4XR fm Vientiane; 160-10m; CW RTTY JT65; QSL also OK via E21EIC
2017 Jan04	2017 Jan22	Micronesia	V63		DXW.Net 20160912	By JA3ARJ as V63ARJ, JH3LSS as V63LSS, JA3AVO JH3PBL W7AYA likewise fm Pohnpei; 160-6m; CW SSB + digital
2017 Jan05	2017 Jan09	South Cook Is	E51AMF	LotW	DXW.Net 20160730	By K7ADD fm Rarotonga I (IOTA OC-013); 80-10m, perhaps 160m; SSB RTTY; 1.5kw; verticals and wires near salt water; QSL also OK via K7ADD direct, Club Log, eQSL

 

 

 

HF forecasting

 

Until someone points out a better site, I continue to recommend  :-

 

VOACAP Online – professional-grade high-frequency (3-30 MHz) point-to-point propagation predictions

 

**************

HNY.  Peace be upon your noise floor. [ If the Black Hole don’t getcher * see below] I’ve checked with NASA and it’s directly over Partridge Green !

 

 

HERE COMES THE SOLAR WIND (AGAIN): 2016 might get one more blast of Arctic auroras before the year is over.  Another stream of solar wind is heading for Earth, and it could arrive before New Year’s Eve.     The incoming solar wind stream is flowing from a coronal hole (CH) in the sun’s atmosphere, shown here in an image from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory.

….  -.  -.–    -..  .

 

BRYANGVB

WADARC  –  Boldly  we lead so that others may follow.

WEEKLY BULLETIN  –  23 December 2016

 

THE PAST WEEK  – 

 

Highlight of the week was the ‘on the radio’ meeting on wednesday 21st.

The preliminary via GB3WO was fair, the later 40 m was predictably covered with European stuff,  80m was better than 40 but the success story was 160………..

Fifteen, yes fifteen members found they really could get on to 160m if they made the effort. Signals were Q5 from almost everyone, including ‘Our Kenn’ in the wild west.

 

It has to be said tho,  that some people are real masochists, 4 watts to a big antenna is ok, a makeshift antenna with 50 watts is ok, but one hardy soul was using 4 watts to a makeshift antenna  and was only just readable.

 

Listen again on 1848 kHz. next Wednesday 28th at 1930

 

BTW  Where was Ron ?

 

***************************

Rallies this weekend

 

Ho! Ho!

 

THIS WEEKEND ON THE RADIO

 

note the ionospheric forecast 

Auroras for Christmas

Earth is about to enter a solar wind stream flowing from a large hole in the sun’s atmosphere.

Polar G1-class geomagnetic storms are expected to begin on Dec. 21st with magnetic unrest continuing through Dec. 25th as Earth slowly crosses the broad stream of solar wind.

Santa, be alert for Northern Lights!

 

Santa Claus DX

 

Here is the Santa Claus info for those who are true believers.

 

Santa Claus’  call sign is OF9X /He has keen Elves helping on phone and Licensed Reindeer on CW.  His ops. can spring up with their funny red hats on all modes and frequencies. OF9X will always be the call  used but each

elf will give his personal ID / name  during the QSO  –

 

Arto, OH2KW (ART); Arttu, OH2FB (ATU); Jyri, OH2KM (JYR); Martti, OH2BH (MAR);Niko, OH2GEK (NIK); Paul OH5BQ (PAU); Pekka, OH2TA (PEK);

Pertti, OH2BEE (PER);

Raimo, OH2BCI (RAI);Tom, OH6VDA (TOM); Pertti, OH2PM (SIM) and

Erik, OH2LAK (LAK)

 

Grimeton Radio/SAQ Transmission on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2016

Message from Lars Olsen SM6NM

 

We are now planning for the traditional transmission with the Alexanderson 200 kW alternator on VLF 17.2 kHz on the morning of Christmas Eve, Thursday, December 24. The message transmission will take place at 08:00 UTC and the transmitter will be tuned up from around 07:30 UTC.

Since the plant is old, there is always the risk that the transmission will be cancelled with short notice. An updated information will be published on our website www.alexander.n.se.

There will be activity on Amateur Radio Frequencies with the call SK6SAQ.
Frequencies: – 7,035 CW or 14,035 CW

QSL-reports on the SAQ transmission or SK6SAQ are kindly received via:
– E-mail to: info@alexander.n.se
– or via: SM bureau
– or direct by mail to:
Alexander – Grimeton Veteranradios Vaenner,
Radiostationen Grimeton 72
SE-432 98 GRIMETON
S W E D E N

The radio station will be open to visitors.

Welcome!

Yours
Lars SM6NM

 

 

*********************

 

Forthcoming CLUB EVENTS Club Evening on the RADIO ONLY.   28 Dec.  at 19.30  tune to 1848  Tell the jokes from your Christmas crackers  – HAPPY NEW YEAR Sunday Hungover Breakfast  (Don’t  talk too loudly)- Sun 1st January 2017 – 9:00 am – 10:00 am Club Evening – ( this is Committee-speak for ‘can’t think of anything’)   Wed 4th January – 7.30 for 8 Club Evening –  Wed 11 th January – 7.30 for 8 Talk about “The Sun” by Chris Suddell Wed. 18th Jan. 7.30 for 8

• Wed. 25th   Soldering teach-in

After that is still the subject of some cogitation.

 

 

DX News

 

KENYA, 5Z. Sila, AK0SK is QRV as 5Z4/AK0SK from Taveta until January 6, 2017. Activity is on 80 to 10 meters using SSB. QSL to home call.

SENEGAL, 6W. Vlad, UA4WHX is currently QRV as 6W/UA4WHX/p from Carabane Island, IOTA AF-078. Activity of late has been on 17 meters using CW, SSB and other digital modes. His length of stay is unknown. QSL to home call.

LESOTHO, 7P. Chris, ZS1CDG is QRV as 7P8GOZ from Teyateyaneng until December 31. Activity is holiday style on 20 meters using PSK31, and possibly 15 meters. QSL to home call.

PHILIPPINES, DU. Chris, VK3FY, Nik, VK3FNIK and Dindo, DU1UD are QRV as DX8DX from Luzon Island, IOTA OC-042, until December 29.
They may also be active from IOTAs OC-130, OC-235, and possibly others. Activity is on 40 to 10 meters, and possibly 160 and 80 meters, using CW and SSB. QSL via operators’ instructions.

NORTH COOK ISLANDS, E5. Warwick, E51WL is QRV from Penrhyn Atoll, IOTA OC-082, and has been active using JT65 on 80, 40, 30, 20 and 15 meters between 1200 to 1600z and then from 0000 to 0800z. QSL via operator’s instructions.

SOUTH COOK ISLANDS, E5. Milan, OK1DWC is QRV as E51DWC from Rarotonga Island until early next year. Activity is on 160 to 10 meters using CW, SSB and RTTY. QSL to home call.

LIECHTENSTEIN, HB0. Georg, NZ1C is QRV as HB0/NZ1C until December 25. QSL to home call.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, HI. Ez, NK4DX is QRV as HI3AA until December 30. Activity is on 80 to 10 meters using only CW. QSL to home call.

6. LUCIA, J6. Steve, NY3B plans to be QRV as J6/NY3B from Rodney Bay from December 24 to 31. Activity is holiday style on 40 and 20 meters using mostly CW with some SSB. QSL to home call.

OGASAWARA, JD1. Hiroyuki, JG7PSJ is QRV as JD1BMH from Chichi-Jima Island, IOTA OC-031, until January 1, 2107. Activity is on 160 to 10 meters using CW, SSB and RTTY. QSL direct to home call.

PALAU, T8. Ryosei, JH0IXE will be QRV as T8CW from Koror Island, IOTA OC-009, from December 26 to January 6, 2017 Activity will be on 80 to 6 meters using CW, SSB, RTTY, PSK31 and JT65. QSL direct to home call. In addition, Tetsuya, JA7XBG will also be QRV as T88GA from Koror Island, IOTA OC-009, from December 25 to 29. Activity will be on 160 to 6 meters using CW, SSB and some digital modes. QSL direct to home call.

ZIMBABWE, Z2. Herbert, DE1ZHB is QRV as Z21LS from Harare until January 2017. Activity is on 40 to 10 meters using SSB, RTTY and PSK. QSL to home call.

CAYMAN ISLANDS, ZF. Jeff, K5WE is QRV as ZF2WE from Cayman Brac until December 30. Activity is on 160 to 10 meters using mostly CW with some RTTY. QSL to home call.

PRINCE EDWARD AND MARION ISLANDS, ZS8. David, ZS1BCE is stationed on Marion Island, IOTA AF-021, until May 2018 and plans to be QRV as ZS8Z during his spare time. QSL via ZS1LS.KENYA, 5Z. Sila, AK0SK plans to be QRV as 5Z4/AK0SK from Taveta from December 22 to January 6, 2017. Activity will be on 80 to 10 meters using SSB. QSL to home call.

 

 

HF forecasting

 

Truly, I can still do no better than direct you to the best site known to me… thus :-

 

VOACAP Online – professional-grade high-frequency (3-30 MHz) point-to-point propagation predictions

 

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A lesson for all………

 

The author of this bulletin is sometimes criticised for being “Details withheld” in various directories. He  takes the view that the less people know the less the harm they can do. The following item seems to vindicate this approach……

 

Destruction of RSGB Callbook 2017

 

The UK communications regulator Ofcom has admitted it released radio amateurs’ private home addresses  instead of their mailing address

This information was published in the RSGB Yearbook 2017 and the 2017 Callseeker Plus CD and Flash Drive.

Ofcom has asked the RSGB to destroy all the unsold copies of the RSGB Yearbook 2017 and replace those that have already been issued with a corrected edition.
.…so that’s alright then ?  ……….

 

 

*********************

Ham Radio – Avoid These Mistakes

[ Shamelessly copied with just  a little editing ]

 

Here is a list of mistakes that most new radio hams make when they launch themselves into our hobby, but don’t worry, we all make mistakes.

 

New transceivers are packed full with many features and benefits, some benefit certain area’s and others just make life more complex, the majority of new hams buy a two metre transceiver either a mobile or handheld to get onto the local repeater. Problems start when you try to upload too many frequencies onto your handheld, after all there are usually just a couple of VHF repeaters in your vicinity and a number on UHF

Trying to load up with hundreds all around the land is a big mistake and will lead to confusion.

 

Access tones are often problematic to the newbie, C.T.C.S.S. tones were introduced many years ago to prevent operators unwittingly raising repeaters in other parts of the country during lift conditions.

Take your time and find out what your local repeater tone is. In this area of Sussex it is 88.5 Hz  C.T.C.S.S. adds a sub audible tone to your transmission to open the repeater and sometimes it is needed on receive. C.T.C.S.S. stands for Constant Tone Coded Squelch System.

Check through your radio manual and research how to set whichever  C.T.C.S.S. tone you need,  to quickly access your local network and allow you to engage in your first contacts.

Repeaters use two frequencies an input and output, make sure to learn what the frequency shift is between your transmit and your recieve frequency On two metres your transmit  600 kHz down from your recieve.  Your UHF transmit may be either 1.6 or 7.6 mHz higher than your recieve frequency.

Speak a couple of inches away from the microphone holding it sideways on to your mouth.

 

Don’t expect too much from a handheld transceiver, it  is designed as a pocket set and often arrive with a short rubber duck  helically wound stub, Checking these on sophisticated sweep generators has shown many to be less than ideal on two metres, due to the shortening involved.  430 megs. seems to be where most rubber duck aerials are optimised, however better, longer,  hand-held aerials are available to solve this problem.

 

Listening is of great benefit to the new radio Ham, one can learn a great deal by simply listening. Find out who the best HF operators in your area are,   [modesty forbids, GVB ]   take particular note of how they conduct themselves. Listening for local nets will also help your understanding, join in and make new friends and above all ask lots of questions and before long you will be making regular contacts and gaining confidence.

 

Remember : if you give your call sign at the end of an over, then utter it _last_

 

 

*************************

Note for Newbies…Those who revel in the warm glow of filaments and cathode heaters of valves  glowing in the gloaming are sometimes known as “Glowbugs” .

 

The following sentimental song can be sung (if desired) to the tune of “These are my favourite things ” from ‘The sound of music’

 

 

A Glowbug’s Christmas

T’was the night before Christmas
And all through the shack
Not a heater was glowing
In all of the rack.

Sitting totally silent and quiet that night
The old HRO shedding nary a light.
The Johnson exciter and its homebrew final
Felt cold as leftovers, or seat-cover vinyl,

I drowsed at my workbench feeling tired and weary,
The print in the Handbook looked fuzzy and smeary.
I thought, “I’ll make coffee”, and groaned to my feet
When I heard a loud clatter outside in the street.

What the–? I wondered and turned on the lights
And there I beheld a wondrous sight:
A battered old van heaped high with components
And a grizzled old ham with a bagful of doughnuts.

I noted his callsign– can’t recall it today–
But a patch on the side read “FMLA”.
I opened the door and hollered “Come in!
The coffee pot’s heating,  we’ll sit down and chin!”

He spoke not a word but whistled in Morse
A “GE OM”, and “By golly, I’m hoarse.
Too many contacts, and hot resin smoke.”
I nodded and poured him a mug of jamoke.

He emptied the doughnuts in a pile on a plate
And explained in a whistle, “I’m running real late.
I’ve new 6L6s and fine 211s, 6146s and good ‘SN7s.
And 866s and 0B2s, type 45s and mil-spec 807s.”

“For the regennie crowd, 201s by the score
And good ol’ type 30s and 19s galore.
I haven’t neglected the passive-parts run
There’s lots of good iron by old Thordarson.”

I nodded and smiled, suppressing a chortle
As he reached in his pack for a 304TL.
He whistled, “I’m leaving, the coffee was great,
But I’m overdue in the neighboring state.”

“Keep everyone building the rigs of their choosing
Or we’ll lose the bands that we’re lazy in using.
Transistors or tubes– any project is fine–
Just keep on constructing and sharing on line.”

He leaped to his feet and waved a gloved hand
As he sprang for the door and his rusty old van.
I heard him exclaim as he drove off from me………….
……….”Merry Christmas, you Glowbugs, best 73!”

 

 

BRYANGVB

 

WADARC  – We boldly lead that others may meekly follow.

 

WEEKLY BULLETIN  –  16 December 2016

 

THE PAST WEEK  – 

 

Highlight of the week was the very successful Christmas Party hosted by our President resplendent in his insigne of office. There were almost as many people as there were raffle prizes .

 

Our gallant chairman presented certificates of merit to richly deserving members whose efforts help to maintain in-being the most superior radio club in the South of England.

 

The buffet, again prepared by Joy Slater, surpassed the already high standards of previous years and we all owe her a big vote of thanks for her hard work. One visitor was seen to eat TWO mince pies and TWO helpings of choc pud with trifle and had to be driven home.

 

Ron’s Home Made Christmas cake was delicious and someone was overheard  to tell him that if he were only 60 years younger and of the opposite sex, he’d have been asked to move in chez GVB.

 

HF

 

On HF this week, other than brief openings for no readily discernible  reason, the higher end bands have been largely dead. Proof can be found in the fact that the Santa Claus stations in Finland have worked  thousands of stations all over Europe  but a paltry 373 from North America.

 

One of the openings was reported thus:

 

10 metres is rewarding for those who care to monitor it …..

the week was exceedingly poor but the weekend produced prodigious contacts and DX,   YV1KK (Venezuela), ZW5B (Brazil), FY5KE (French Guiana), 4M1K (Venezuela) to name but four. But there were lots more……….

The lesson is clear, as always, Listen, listen and then listen……

 

Practical Doings 

 

G1EXG communicated the following account of his recent doings.:

 

Today (16-12-16) I worked G3GVB (Shoreham) from my G1EXG Brighton QTH
for my first 160m top-band QSO 🙂

’59’ both ways with my ‘compromise’ set-up.

… so the message here is that if I can do it (with a limited space city
property) then it means others in the club can get to work on 160m too 🙂

Thank you Bryan
My gear:
Radio: IC706 MK II – started out with ’50’ watts but moved up to full
power ca. 100 W.

Antenna: full sized 40m inverted V (ca. 100 degree angle), feedpoint at
about 11m, two ends at about 1m from ground.
The inverted V was fed with about 35′ of 300 open wire feeder with the
two ends shorted together to form a weird T-shape like this /|\

The two feeder ends, that were shorted together, then went into a large
inductor (outside but close to the ATU) and then into my ATU.

The inductor (‘junk box’) was 24 turns of 16 SWG enamelled copper wire
ca. 100 mm long and 65mm diameter, coils spaced about 4mm apart.

This inductor probably needs to be a bit larger to make sure the ATU
does not struggle too much.

The coil had a self resonant freq of about 4MHz but I havent yet
measured where the antenna, coil and earth was resonant without the ATU.

ATU: Versa Tuner II MFJ 949E (according to the MFJ-949E book it uses a
“T” matching network and covers all bands between 160 and 10 meters.)

For a basic ‘give-it-a-try’ earth I used a short, thick wire with large
croc-clip connected from the earth connection on the ATU

onto the copper pipe of the radiator (don’t tell my terrace neighbours …)

 

 

Author’s biassed notes 

 

Re:  Jonathan –   Luke 15:10

 

In a later test G4UDU Beeding was 5/7 in Shoreham with 100 milli-watts but to help comfort level in Hove had to increase power to 1 watt.  LF ground-wave gets everywhere. Some deity somewhere designed it for local nets.

 

G3 wisdom proffering 160 metres for club nets has been predictably rejected by the younger generation who believe a manufacturer’s cardboard box for a ready-made antenna would have to be 260 feet long.

 

Little do they know that long ago, when “men were men” etc., the customary band for 10 watt moving mobile radio was 160 metres. I suppose we’ll have to explain it to them all over again (see addendum )

 

Rallies this weekend

 

You’ll just have to wait until the new year and even then do a bit of travelling.

 

THIS WEEKEND ON THE RADIO

 

Russian 160-Meter Contest  21.00 TODAY !  CW and SSB

 

Rules;  (Google it )

 

Non-Russian stations: QSO with Russian station scores 10 points (regardless of continent); QSO with own entity scores 2 points; QSO with another entity within own continent scores 3 points; QSO with another continents scores 5 points. Use DXCC list for entity definition.

 

OTHER CONTESTS

 

AWA Bruce Kelley 1929 CW QSO Party,

 

NCCC RTTY Sprint, QRP 80-Meter CW Fox Hunt,

 

NCCC CW Sprint, AGB-Party Contest,

 

Feld Hell Sprint,  (is this ‘Field’ in some unspeakable language?)

 

OK DX RTTY Contest,

 

RAC Winter Contest

 

Padang 40-Meter DX SSB Contest  ( I assume this is a Field day because Padang is Malay for Field – ( boy, are you kids lucky to have G3’s around )

 

Summary – usual bedlam. wait ’til Monday.

 

 

Santa Claus DX

 

Here is yet another  repeat of the Santa Claus info for those who are true believers.

 

Santa Claus’  call sign is OF9X /He has keen Elves helping on phone and Licensed Reindeer on CW.  His ops. can spring up with their funny red hats on all modes and frequencies. Be patient all you hot shot CW merchants – I’d just like to see _you_ wearing headphones over _your_ antlers.

 

Here is the Elf list  – they give their personal ID during/after the QSO  – so  OF9X will always be the calll

 

Arto, OH2KW (ART);

Arttu, OH2FB (ATU);

Jyri, OH2KM (JYR);

Martti, OH2BH (MAR);

Niko, OH2GEK (NIK);

Pauli, OH5BQ (PAU);

Pekka, OH2TA (PEK);

Pertti, OH2BEE (PER);

Raimo, OH2BCI (RAI);

Tom, OH6VDA (TOM);

Pertti, OH2PM (SIM)

Erik, OH2LAK (LAK)

 

BTW  ‘Tom’ is lazy and b****y  deaf to call-signs involving GVB

 

Here is a table to “Tick the Box” for your “ELF’ COUNT”

 

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/31340563/OF9X%20Worked%20Chart.pdf

 

Forthcoming CLUB EVENTS Club Evening on the RADIO ONLY.   21 Dec.   Frequencies still subject to committee procrastination at the time of going to press.  Bring lots of  new jokes to tell. 8.pm until tired. 28th Dec.   No club meeting or net  .. but  ” a certain G3 ”  may run a cross-band net 2m and 160m  Wed 28th December, drop in anytime after 19.30  1.932 LSB and 145.425 FM . Tell the jokes from your Christmas crackers  – HAPPY NEW YEAR Sunday Hungover Breakfast  (Don’t  talk too loudly)- Sun 1st January 2017 – 9:00 am – 10:00 am Club Evening – ( Committee-speak for ‘can’t think of anything’)   Wed 4th January – 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm

• Wed 11th January – 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm THE SUN  by Chris, M0VUE.  [ Whether as in ovoid  or tabloid is not disclosed…]

Wed 18th January  On The Air.

 

• Wed. 25th   Soldering teach-in

After that is still the subject of some cogitation.

 

 

DX News

 

KENYA, 5Z. Sila, AK0SK plans to be QRV as 5Z4/AK0SK from Taveta from December 22 to January 6, 2017. Activity will be on 80 to 10 meters using SSB. QSL to home call.

SENEGAL, 6W. Members of the Association des Radio-Amateurs du Senegal are QRV as 6V1A from Goree Island, IOTA AF-045, until December 18. Activity is on the HF bands using CW, SSB and various digital modes. QSL direct to 6W7JX.

ALGERIA, 7X. Operators 7X2FK, 7X5PY, 7X7QB, and one SWL will be QRV as 7T0A from Djanet in the Great Sahara Desert from December 18 to 22. Activity will be with two stations on 160 to 10 meters using CW and SSB. QSL via operators’ instructions.

THE GAMBIA, C5. Vlad, UA4WHX is QRV as C50VB. Activity is currently on 40, 30, 20 and 17 meters using CW, SSB and various digital modes. His length of stay is unknown. QSL to home call.

PHILIPPINES, DU. Robert, DU7ET is QRV as 4F7OC from Negros Island, IOTA OC-129, until January 15, 2017. QSL direct to home call.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, HI. Operator K6BIB is QRV as K6BIB/HI from Punta Cana until December 23. Activity is on the HF bands using 15 watts. QSL via operator’s instructions.

6. LUCIA, J6. Bill, K9HZ will be QRV as J68HZ from December 17 to January 2, 2017.

 

 

 

HF Propagation

 

Truly, I can still do no better than direct you to useful sites … thus :-

 

VOACAP Online – professional-grade high-frequency (3-30 MHz) point-to-point propagation predictions

 

You put in where you are and what country you seek to contact and bingo it tells you what band to use, when and in what direction ! Even a G3 can JAM to use it.  Luke 15:10 again

 

I wish one of our captive club programming gurus would  reconfigure a version for reverse  action :  ie you put in which country you never want to hear and it tells you what bands, times and directions to avoid. 🙂

 

Rallies to plan for.

 

15 January West Manchester Radio Club’s Red Rose Winter Rally Lowton Civic Centre, Hesketh Meadow Lane, Lowton, WA3 2AH.

 

29 January Horncastle Winter Radio Rally  Horncastle Youth Centre, Willow Close, Cagthorpe, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6DB. Hot drinks and snacks available (including bacon butties).

 

10 February 71st Orlando Hamcation [Friday-Sunday]
Central Florida Fairgrounds & Expo Park, 4603 West Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL. 32808.
Open 09:00 until: 18:00 Friday, 17:00 Saturday and 14:00 on Sunday.
Admission: at the gate $15.00, in advance $13.00 for all three days.
Trade. Talkin. Free parking. Car boot sale. Forums. SIGs. Prize draw.
Family attractions. (No bacon butties).

11 February Ballymena ARC Rally [Saturday]
Ahoghill Community Centre, 80 Cullybackey Rd, Ahoghill Ballymena, Co Antrim, BT42 1LA.
Further details: Hugh Kernohan, GI0JEV, 02825-871481, hkernohan@aol.com
Ballymena ARC

 

19 February Audiojumble for Norman
The Angel Leisure Centre, Angel Lane, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 1SF
Secondhand and vintage hifi event. Vintage & modern hifi, valve amps, speakers, turntables, tuners, tape-recorders, CD players, records, components, books & vintage radios.

26 February Central Coast ARC Rally

Wyong Racecourse, Howarth St, Wyong NSW 2259, Australia
The largest AR event in Australia. ( (including Kangaroo butties).More information at http://www.ccarc.org.a

Author’s rumination !

We are all pretty much p’d off with rising electronic noise levels and naively assume that our taxes are funding people who will ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING.  Hah! Fat chance !! In answer to the question :

WHAT IS NEEDED TO GET OFCOM TO TAKE ENFORCEMENT ACTION AGAINST SERIOUS INTERFERENCE TO AMATEUR RADIO,?

 

Ofcom ( the people who are over-paid with your taxes) replied – from the depths of their postprandial leather club armchairs :

 

“Ofcom published a statement on 24 March 2016 ‘Decision to make the Wireless Telegraphy (Control of Interference from Apparatus) Regulations 2016’ in which we address this issue at section 3 ‘The legislative setting’. For your convenience I have copied the following extract:

 

Ofcom has enforcement powers in relation to undue interference. These are set out in primary legislation. In particular, section 55 of the Act provides for the giving of notices by Ofcom prohibiting the use of apparatus (“enforcement notice”). However in order to avail of this existing power to serve these notices, regulations must first be made under section 54 setting requirements to be complied with. 3.2 Enforcement notices may be given in the limited circumstances set out in the Act. These circumstances are where, in the opinion of Ofcom: 3.2.1 apparatus does not comply with the requirements applicable to it under regulations made under section 54(1); and 3.2.2 either the first or the second condition below is satisfied.

 

3.3 The first condition is that the use of the apparatus is likely to cause undue interference with wireless telegraphy used

 

– 3.3.1 for the purposes of a safety of life service; or

 

3.3.2 for a purpose on which the safety of a person, or of a ship, aircraft or vehicle may depend.

 

3.4 The second condition is that-

 

3.4.1 the use of the apparatus is likely to cause undue interference with wireless telegraphy other than wireless telegraphy falling within the first condition;

 

3.4.2 the use of the apparatus in fact has caused, or is causing, such interference; and

 

3.4.3 the case is one where Ofcom consider that all reasonable steps to minimise interference have been taken in relation to the wireless telegraphy station or wireless telegraphy apparatus receiving the interference.

 

The principles of enforcement

Ofcom strives to ensure our interventions will be evidence-based, proportionate, consistent, accountable and transparent in both deliberation and outcome. These principles apply both to enforcement cases and to how we manage enforcement activities as a whole.

 

Targeting

Targeting involves relating enforcement action to the risks. Our resources are not infinite, and we are therefore more likely to focus on more serious circumstances. It is neither possible, nor necessary for the purposes of the protecting and managing the radio spectrum, to investigate all issues of interference or non-compliance. In selecting which complaints, or reports of, to investigate and in deciding the level of resources to be used, Ofcom will take into account the following: • The severity and scale of any potential or actual harm; • The seriousness of any potential breach of the law; • The practicality of achieving results; • The wider implications of the event, including whether there is serious public concern.

 

Consistency

Consistency of approach does not mean uniformity. It means taking a similar approach in similar circumstances to achieve similar ends.

 

Transparency

Transparency includes helping stakeholders to understand what is expected of them and what they should expect from Ofcom.

 

Accountability

Ofcom is accountable for our actions .We report annually to Parliament and we publish information about our enforcement activities.

 

Ofcom will exercise discretion in deciding whether incidents or complaints should be investigated.

 

Questions from RSGB for Ofcom – S54 Regulations | 11 Dec 2016

 

Page 9 of 9 Duties and functions

 

The Communications Act 2003 requires that Ofcom secures the optimal use for wireless telegraphy of the electro-magnetic spectrum. In performing its duties, Ofcom must have regard to the different needs and interests of all persons who may wish to make use of the electro-magnetic spectrum. Ofcom must also have regard in performing its duties to the desirability of preventing crime and disorder. The Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006 makes it a general function of Ofcom to give advice, provide services and maintain records as we consider appropriate for facilitating or managing the use of the spectrum. Ofcom may also carry out research. Ofcom has a function of providing advice and assistance to persons complaining of interference.

 

In summary – Our duty is to provide advice and assistance. We do not have a duty to enforce and we do not guarantee that interference will not occur. When deciding whether to investigate or to take enforcement action we are required act reasonably and responsibly and maximise the use of resources and do so in a proportionate, accountable, transparent and consistent way. We treat each case on its merits. “

 

(and actually, in point of fact, truly, thoughtfully and sincerely allocate considerable time and money to making preparations for responsibly,sympathetically, and in a wholly meaningful way while respecting tolerance, faiths and celebrating diversity…….just talking about it .)

 

Humbug!  (oops is that racist?)

 

So There! now you know why the noise persists.

 

 

BRYANGVB

 

***************

 

Addendum:

 

For a 160m mobile or portable or base station antenna  , you will need :

 

an 8 ft, bamboo cane

a 4ft whip (or even a 4 ft. skinny cane)

 

A 9″ length of 4″ / 5″ / PVC pipe or a 2 ltr. plastic  bottle or a fat jam-jar or even a plastic wine-bottle (glass ones are too heavy)

 

A piece of plastic pipe about the size of a toilet-roll cardboard core (or -in-extremis, an actual TP core )

 

100 feet of enamelled or _thin_ plastic covered wire. (unwind an old transformer ? ) Surely you have this in your junk-box?

 

12 feet of 3 core or 2 core  mains power lead that you salvaged from an old Hoover or lawn mower.

 

A roll of  tough double sided  tape and a roll of duct tape. (Screw-Fix is much cheaper.

 

A small tin of old left-over paint or varnish .

 

Big crocodile clip

 

Iddy biddy crocodile clip

 

2 hours of spare time.

 

I’ll give you all 24 hrs. to assemble the stuff. There will be a ‘special edition’ Addendum 2 on Sat. afternoon so that you can begin assembly at once and be in operation for trials on Sunday all ready for 21 st Dec. net meeting which will either be on 160m or there will be a mass protest rally outside LPH.

 

Ends.

 

 

WADARC WEEKLY BULLETIN  –  9 December 2016

 

THE PAST WEEK  – Ennui Rules.

 

Frankly, nothing happened. A mere 5 members turned up for monthly breakfast.

Wednesday was quiet amiable club meeting with coincidental absences of core movers and shakers.

Until the new year it’s a case of – Ennui Rules OK ?

 

Rallies this weekend

 

None!.  – All merchants too busy flogging Christmas trees.

 

THIS WEEKEND ON THE RADIO

 

The ARRL 10-Meter Contest, SKCC Weekend Sprintathon, International Naval Contest, AWA Bruce Kelley 1929 QSO Party and the CQC Great Colorado Snowshoe Run   ………………will keep trans-Atlantic contesters busy this weekend.   See  ARRL and WA7BNM contest web sites for details

 

Santa Claus DX

 

I repeat the Santa Claus info for those who have only just finished their Christmas shopping.

 

Santa Claus’  call sign is OF9X /He has keen Elves helping on phone and Licenced Reindeer on CW.  His ops. can spring up with their funny red hats on all modes and frequencies. Be patient all you hot shot CW merchants – I’d just like to see _you_ wearing headphones over _your_ antlers.

 

Here is the Elf list  – they give their personal ID during/after the QSO  – so  OF9X will always be the calll

 

Arto, OH2KW (ART);

Arttu, OH2FB (ATU);

Jyri, OH2KM (JYR);

Martti, OH2BH (MAR);

Niko, OH2GEK (NIK);

Pauli, OH5BQ (PAU);

Pekka, OH2TA (PEK);

Pertti, OH2BEE (PER);

Raimo, OH2BCI (RAI);

Tom, OH6VDA (TOM);

Pertti, OH2PM (SIM)

Erik, OH2LAK (LAK)

 

Here is a table to “Tick the Box” for your “ELF’ COUNT”

 

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/31340563/OF9X%20Worked%20Chart.pdf

PS Don’t tell ” Dept. of ‘Elf and safety” about this, they’re bound to try to stop it.

 

 

BETHLEHEM DX

 

WX3MAS will be active from Nazareth and Bethlehem (in Pennsylvania) this weekend on HF using SSB, CW and PSK31. QSL via WX3MAS, direct.

 

1

Transatlantic Reception Anniversary December 11 The ARRL report an Amateur Radio special event on December 11 will commemorate the 95th anniversary of the first transatlantic shortwave reception between Greenwich, Connecticut, and Scotland. A school near the original site is hosting the event. ARRL, the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB), and the Radio Club of America (RCA), are partnering in sponsoring the activity. The Greenwich Historical Society will also participate. On December 11, 1921, reception in Ardrossan, Scotland, of a radio signal transmitted from the official test station of Minton Cronkhite, 1BCG, in a small shack on the corner of Clapboard Ridge Road and North Street in Greenwich, helped to usher in the age of global communication. The special event will use N1BCG, the call sign of Clark Burgard of Greenwich, who obtained that call sign to commemorate this bit of radio history. Burgard was instrumental in making arrangements for the event. The N1BCG special event will begin on Sunday, December 11, at 1200 and conclude at 0300 UTC on December 12. It will include an attempt at a two-way contact between N1BCG and GB2ZE, operated by Jason O’Neill, GM7VSB, in Ardrossan.

 

 

Forthcoming CLUB EVENTS   Christmas Party – ( unbridled licentiousness )  Wed 14th December – 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm . rehearse your favourite funny jokes. – there might be a prize for the best one. Club Evening on the RADIO ONLY.   21 Dec.   145.425  bring lots of  new jokes to tell. 8.pm onwards  Evening on Repeater Wed 28th December , all evening, tell the jokes from your Christmas crackers  – HAPPY NEW YEAR Sunday Hungover Breakfast  (Don’t  talk too loudly)- Sun 1st January 2017 – 9:00 am – 10:00 am Club Evening – Wed 4th January – 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm

• Club Evening – Wed 11th January – 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm

 

DX News

 

KAZAKHSTAN. The following special event stations will celebrate Kazakhstan’s 25th anniversary of independence during December: UP25CWA, UP25ECA, UP25FW, UP25G, UP25I, UP25J, UP25KZ, UP25L, UP25LL, UP25LW, UP25M, UP25N, UP25NFD, UP25NR, UP25NWA, UP25O, UP25OGA, UP25P, UP25PA, UP25TX, UP25Z, UP25ZA, UP25ZAF, UP25ZF, UP25ZWW.   An award will be available for 25 QSOs. QSL via RW6HS (d).   TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS, VP5. Mikhail, VE7ACN will sign VP5/VE7ACN from Grand Turk Island (NA-003) from December 10 to 19 on the HF bands using CW and SSB. QSL via VE7ACN, LoTW.   YOTA.  YOungsters On The Air   group is active with the following calls during December from all over the world: 3V8YOTA, 4O1YOTA, 4O2YOTA, 7X2YOTA, 9A0YOTA, 9A16YOTA, A2YOTA, A60YOTA, A91YOTA, DA0YOTA, E71YOTA, ES9YOTA, ET3AA/YOTA, GB16YOTA, HA6YOTA, HB9YOTA, II2YOTA, II5YOTA, J62YOTA, LX4YOTA, LY5YOTA, LZ16YOTA, OD5RI/YOTA, OE16YOTA, OE2YOTA, OH2YOTA, OL16YOTA, OM16YOTA, OM9YOTA, ON4YOTA, PA6YOTA, PD6YOTA, R16YOTA, SH9YOTA, TM0YOTA, YO0YOTA, YT16YOTA, and ZS9YOTA. QSL only via ClubLog OQRS.     MARITIME MOBILE, /MM.   Frank, F5MYK/MM is operating shipboard in the Indian Ocean, aboard the R/V Marion Dufresnes 2, until January 2. His itinerary, leaving Reunion, takes him near Crozet, Kerguelen, Amsterdam, Tromelin, Mauritius and back to Reunion on December 30. He will check 40, 12 and 6 meters. He also often checks 6 meters during his lunch break from noon to 2 PM local.

 

HF Propagation

 

Truly I can do no better than direct you to useful sites … thus :-

 

VOACAP Online – professional-grade high-frequency (3-30 MHz) point-to-point propagation predictions

 

VOACAP Online – professional-grade high-frequency (3-30 MHz) point-to-point…

Sad commentary on the times…

 

 

0 ABC ditches Shortwave services The Australian Broadcasting Corporation will end its shortwave transmission service in the Northern Territory and to international audiences from January 31 Radio Today reports Michael Mason, ABC’s Director of Radio said, “While shortwave technology has served audiences well for many decades, it is now nearly a century old and serves a very limited audience. The ABC is seeking efficiencies and will instead service this audience through modern technology” ABC International’s Chief Executive Officer Lynley Marshall said the reinvestment from closing international shortwave services would maximise the ABC’s broadcast capabilities in the region. “In considering how best to serve our Pacific regional audiences into the future we will move away from the legacy of shortwave radio distribution,” Ms Marshall said. “An ever-growing number of people in the region now have access to mobile phones with FM receivers and the ABC will redirect funds towards an extended content offering and a robust FM distribution network to better serve audiences into the future.”   Bah! Humbug was the comment used by one old G3 when told about it…….

 

 

BUT there is hope.

NASA X-Ray tech could enable superfast communication in deep space

New technology could use X-rays to transmit data at high rates over vast distances in outer space, as well as enable communications with hypersonic vehicles during re-entry, when radio communications are impossible, NASA scientists say.

The technology would combine multiple NASA projects currently in progress to demonstrate the feasibility of X-ray communications from outside the International Space Station.

http://www.space.com/34824-nasa-x-ray-tech-deep-space-communication.html

 

 

 

………….New-fangled pansy nonsense he went on to say………

 

 

Bryan  – G3GVB

 

WADARC WEEKLY BULLETIN  –  Nov 25 2016

 

Happy Birthday to our ever lovely Hon. Treasurer!

 

 

THE PAST WEEK 

 

Saturday. The net-via-repeater is now a regular feature of the weekly round..7.00 pm. 430.975 up 7600, GB3WO

 

Sunday. 80 m net was, as ever, sparsely populated but made up for that in intellectual quality of discussion 😉

 

Wednesday. Construction contest was in the best amateur tradition; thoughtful and informed projects with a patina of cheerful irreverence. One could laugh with the humorous items or engage in enlightening discussion with a constructor. While tea was being served there was even a practical test of an antenna entry using a Field strength meter entry.

 

Of course such tests will be all the more practicable when we set up an antenna test range at THE NEW PREMISES which the committee have been arranging for the past 14 months ……?

 

Machiavelli 

 

. A week ago it was light-heartedly suggested here that the Dec. 21 meeting would be an excellent  time for our Chairman to bring us all our Christmas presents. On Wed. this week, without batting an eye-lid, he stood up to tell us that the meeting for Dec. 21st had been cancelled.! Now that is POWER.

 

Rallies this weekend

 

Nah!. That’s it for 2016′ – think of all the bargains you missed by staying in bed..

 

 

THIS WEEKEND ON THE RADIO The CQ World Wide DX CW contest will present many opportunities for  logging exotic new countries. Those learning morse should do a great deal of listening. The speeds of transmission might seem hopelessly too high but there is the advantage of constant repetition. Focus on one contestant; after he has sent “Test de 9M6NA” several times you will work out his call one letter at a time each time.. Note the serial number he sends to each contact and recognise that it increases by i each time so that you can anticipate what he is about to send. Intelligence out of cacophony !   Forthcoming Club Meetings   Note: doors open at 7.15 for chat and for fighting over the freebies.   Club Evening – Wed 30th November – 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm Sunday Breakfast – Sun 4th December – 9:00 am – 10:00 am Test or Practical Evening – Wed 7th December – 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm Christmas Party – Wed 14th December – 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm Club Evening – Wed 21st  Cancelled in suspicious circumstances !  Evening on Repeater Wed 28th December – 8:00 pm – HAPPY NEW YEAR Sunday Breakfast  (Don’t  talk too loudly)- Sun 1st January – 9:00 am – 10:00 am Club Evening – Wed 4th January – 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm

 

DX NEWS 

 

WEST MALAYSIA, 9M2. A group of operators will be QRV as 9M4LI from Lalang Island, IOTA AS-072, from November 25 to 27. Activity will be on the HF bands. QSL via operators’ instructions.

 

EAST MALAYSIA, 9M6. Saty, JE1JKL will be QRV as 9M6NA from Labuan Island, IOTA OC-133, in the CQ World Wide DX CW contest as a Single Op/Single Band entry on 20 meters. QSL to home call.

 

·                   Propagation News – 25 November 2016

 

The prediction for this weekend, remains uncertain as the Earth succumbs again to the last of the, weaker than expected, plasma stream from a large recurrent coronal hole on the sun. NOAA has this weekend’s solar flux index predicted around 80 and the K-index at three or four, but geomagnetic conditions may improve slightly as we move into next week.

It is hard to say exactly how conditions will be for this weekend’s CW leg of the CQ Worldwide contest. If we continue to be hit with solar plasma maximum usable frequencies may be impacted adversely. However, as contesters tend to use larger than average antennas and power levels you should find the bands open to DX, at least up to 21MHz. Short occasional openings on 10 metres may also be possible, especially to the southern hemisphere, southern Europe and equatorial Africa. But we certainly won’t see the kind of conditions we have enjoyed during the last two or three CQ.

VHF and up propagation

The Moon is at apogee today so path losses are at their highest. Moon declination is still negative so with the Sun close to the Moon on Tuesday it is a lousy week for EME.

We had a Leonid fireball meteor last week. While spectacular, a single rock doesn’t help meteor scatter conditions, so just hang in there for the major Geminids shower in a few weeks’ time.

Mysterious Coax. Why do we use 50 Ohm coax for amateur radio but 72 ohm for TV reception? Why not 40 ohm or 100 ohm. Who decided on 50 ohms ?Coaxial cable was first developed in the 1930’s for high powered radio transmitters there were no plastics so early designs involved air spacing. We’ll skip the maths here, but it can be shown that for air spacing, the optimum impedance for low losses is 77 ohms  but for high power handling is 30 .. ( lower voltages). Perhaps 50 ohms was settled on as a “happy medium” because it pre-dated the invention in 1939 of a material that changed everything. PTFE  Trade name Teflon.The dielectric constant for Air is 1, for foam PTFE it’s 1.43 and for solid PTFE it’s 2.2. This makes quite a difference to the sums. Our lowest loss coax impedance becomes 64 ohms with foam and 52 with solid PTFE,  So,entirely  fortuitously, 50 ohm turned out to be a good choice. There now, and all the time you thought it was something to do with dipoles !

Overheard on 20m

 

ZEEGEW DE EGGS, ZEEGEW DE EGGS izza ItalyWAN  DELTA PAPA XRAY. ZEEGEW DE EGGS OUTSIDA EUROPE ONLY.

 

I1DPX this is G4ABC over,

 

No, Negatiff Outsida Europe onnly, you are nota  outsida Europe..

 

G3GV? (breaking in ) Ah! but any day now  Marco..,   we will be! .(Turns on Radio 4 with theme music of The Archers  before releasing PTT)

 

Keep warm kids,

 

Bryan – G3GVB

 

THE PAST WEEK 

 

Saturday. The net-via-repeater was another success.

 

Sunday. Club members assisted the Armistice parade with radio communications

 

Tuesday  Saw a committee meeting at which one hopes the principal matter discussed was the OUR OWN CLUB PREMISES.

 

Wednesday. The  meeting was well worthwhile as always, punctuated by Norman’s hilarious stories about the things he encounters on Britain’s highways. The club radio was on full song for members to operate if they wished .Tickets were on sale for the Christmas party, but suggestions that the 5 quid admission money should include a welcoming drink and half a bottle of wine with the supper, met with a very cold response.

 

RALLIES THIS WEEKEND

 

Sunday.    Hustle up the M23 to COULSDON amateur transmitting society annual bazaar.

.  Admission price of £1.50 includes free coffee so you’re in profit right from the start.:-)  Seriously though, those of you who think of learning useful things by building them should stop paying silly prices on ebay and get around to weekend rallies for cheap useful bits and bobs.

 

THIS WEEKEND ON THE RADIO 

 

(It is a positive feast of top-band stuff  BTW You _have_ put up your multiple of 43 ‘ doublet , right?

The ARRL SSB Sweepstakes Contest,

ARRL EME Contest, (Helluva big moon this week)

All Austrian 160-Meter CW Contest,

 REF 160-Meter CW Contest,

 RSGB 2nd 1.8 MHz CW Contest,

NCCC RTTY Sprint, QRP 80-meter CW Fox Hunt,

NCCC CW Sprint, YO International 80-Meter PSK31 Contest,

LZ DX Contest for Norman to speak Bulgarian,

**** Homebrew and Oldtime Equipment CW Party***

 

 

The Run for the Bacon QRP CW Contest is scheduled for November 21

.
The Phone Fray, CWops Mini-CWT CW Test and SKCC CW Sprint are scheduled for November 23.

 

Please see the ARRL and WA7BNM contest web sites for details.

 

Forthcoming Club Meetings

 

Please Note : The meeting formally begins at 8 but doors are open from 7.15  so arrive early to grab any freebies and tell lies about DX you have worked

• Construction Competition – Wed 23rd November – 8:00 pm – 9:45 pm •
• Club Evening – Wed 30th November – 8:00 pm – 9:45 pm •
• Sunday Breakfast Meeting – Sun 4th December – 9:00 am  •
• Test or Practical Evening – Wed 7th December – 8:00 pm – 9:45 pm •
•  Christmas Party Orgy – Wed 14th December – 7:30 pm – 9:45 pm •
• Club Evening – A really thoughful chairman would bring us all Christmas presents. Wed 21st December – 8:00 pm – 9:45 pm •
• Christmas inebriated nets TBA
• On the repeater evening.  – Wed 28th December – 8:00 pm – 9:45 pm •
• Hungover Sunday Breakfast – Sun 1st January – 9:00 am •
•  Club Evening – Wed 4th January – 8:00 pm – 9:45 pm •
• Thereafter ???  Someone wake up the website !!

DX NEWS

 

Last week week , tucked away in DX news, was inserted a paragraph asking anyone who read it, to email me. No-one did so I conclude, gentlemen, that no-one reads DX news So it is discontinued.

 

PROPAGATION

 

You should go to:

 

https://mg.mail.yahoo.com/neo/launch?.rand=bk7kgd7etgmt7#1961436389

 

he’s much cleverer with it than your humble scribe.

 

This weeks Sermon : 

 

There is NO such thing as a MONOPOLE . For the physics explanation buttonhole  G1EXG but for practical radio engineering read on :

 

Before an electrical charge i.e. a whole bunch of electrons, can be pushed up an antenna  element,  they have to come from somewhere; they can’t be created from nothing. A transmitter is bit like a pump, or a mouth organ,  if it has  nowhere to suck from, it can blow nothing out.

 

With a vertical dipole,this is easy to understand; charges are drawn from the bottom half and pumped into the top one then sucked back down again and pumped into the bottom one 7 million times a second. “But” you say “I’ve seen quarter-wave  verticals working by themselves” What you don’t realise is that it needs an earth connection and the electricity is drawn out of the earth pumped up the so-called monopole and pumped back into the earth, the Earth is acting as one of the poles. In the wrongly called ground plane antenna, the charges are drawn out of the of the radials.  “aha” I hear you say, “but what about the handheld rubber duck.?” Well, the same facts of life apply. The charges to be pushed up the rubber duck  must come from somewhere. In the old days when handhelds were quite large and had a metal case the charge came substantially from the case of the radio but also,to some extent, from contact with the hand. Now that  handhelds are very small and in a plastic case, things are different. The PCB inside acts as one plate and your hand outside the plastic the other to form a capacitor through which the antenna currents can flow up through your body. You will all have experienced the fact that putting your finger on the aerial terminal of a receiver produces lots of signal because your body is acting as a receiving antenna and in the same way, it can act as a transmitting one.

 

The trouble is your body is a lousy conductor. ( and this is just as well because otherwise you would be electrocuted by a 12 V battery).  it functions as a very inefficient ‘other-half’ of a dipole… Using a hand-held antenna  with just one antenna element is like trying to play a mouth organ through a drinking straw, no matter how hard you suck and blow, what comes out is very feeble.

 

What to do ? Well , you must replace your body with something better [no,. not by going to the gym and pumping iron,]  but taking your body out of the RF circuit altogether. Give the radio a better place through which to suck and blow ! This is easy enough, get yourself 24 inches of insulated, wire strip the plastic for three inches  from one end , wrap the bare wire around the bare metal part of the antenna base.  With a BNC plug  you have a nice lump sticking up to wrap around, with an SMA there is a threaded plug at one end or other around which you wrap your wire before screwing it into position. Trim the length of the wire to 19 and a half inches for 2 metres and let the wire hang down. You’ve made a dipole !! Both for transmitting and receiving you will find a tremendous improvement. Run tests with a friend if you like, or observe the better signal you get from some distant repeater. It costs nothing and takes about 10 minutes to make. I mean, like,  it’s cool, man !

 

70 cm?  Will have to wait for another day.

 

Bryan – G3GVB

WADARC WEEKLY BULLETIN  –  NOV. 4. 2016 

THE PAST WEEK 

 

The net-via-repeater on Saturday was another success and we wait with bated breath to see who will be the ringmaster tomorrow. The general idea is that the newly licensed can  get gain experience among local friends before addressing the world at large and in that respect it works admirably

 

Rumours of the incipient demise of the 80m net (Sundays at 0730 ,3712 ) proved to have been exaggerated as several regulars turned up having got up an hour early through failing to adjust clocks.

 

This week has seen a week of disparate time settings with USA  Eastern time only 4 hours behind instead of 5. Sunday evening they will wake up to this and move their clocks back an hour to return to normal. I feel sure the new president will fix this permanently.

 

Daylight conditions  on 40m cheered up a little so that Kenn in the wild west of Somerset and Alan in the frozen north of Lincs. were well received on Thursday morning..

 

Wed. saw Phil.’s impromptu display of a 6′ dia mag-loop  with MFJ ad hoc tuner/matcher/current indicator.  The radiation resistance of small loops like this is very, very  small and your scribe, for one, looks forward to an opportunity to peep inside to see how MFJ have achieved such a large impedance ratio.

 

 

 

RALLIES THIS WEEKEND

 

If you’re planning to be early birds catching worms on Sunday you will need to be up at dawn to make your way the Kempton Park racecourse well before 10 for KEMPTON PARK RALLY.

 

Driving before dawn is a tedious game and it is surprising that a spontaneous “Who’s coming on the bus with us” is not organised by someone. Freedom from drink inhibitions, lots of space to bring home satellite dishes and all the jollity for which Wadarc is renowned are but three of the advantages which spring to mind.

 

 

THIS WEEKEND ON THE RADIO 

 

-(1) A wonderful AM event

 

Attempts to edit the Portugese description failed miserably so it it is here reproduced in full A great chance to check the performance of your hybrid or ex-WW2 radio – 

 

 

The Portuguese Associação de Radioamadores do Litoral Alentejano  (Why can’t Worthing  club have a name like that ? )- ARLA is organizing the traditional amplitude modulation event, throughout 48 hours during the November 5th and 6th weekend.

This will be the sixth edition of the previously well-known “Dia Nacional de AM em Portugal” ham radio fest (Portuguese AM National Day).

The amplitude modulation days, will take place in 80m, 40m, 20m, 10m, 6m and 2m amateur bands, between 08:00am UTC Saturday Nov 5 until 11:59pm UTC Sunday Nov 6.

ARLA invites all ham operators and SWL, national or worldwide, to participate on this special celebration day, which is taking place for the first time during two consecutive days. The operation will be exclusively in AM mode, so the chosen emission frequencies must respect the IARU band plan.

The event will take place in several bands, but the following frequencies should be considered for calling or meeting points between the participants:
3 705.0 kHz (+- 5kHz);
7 146.0 kHz (+- 5 kHz);
14 270.0 kHz (+- 5 kHz);
29 075.0 kHz (+- 5 kHz);
51,575.0 MHz (+- 5 kHz);
144,550.0 MHz (+- 5 kHz).

 

As referred above, this year we’ve increase the event to 48 hours due respecting the aspiration of several previous participants, but maintaining the same goals of last events:

1. a) To give the opportunity of emitting with old fashion, recovered or collecting AM equipments.
2. b) Promote a different experience as well as celebrate, whenever possible, this mode of transmission that it’s not often in used nowadays as a rule.
3. c) Pay a tribute and our respects to the old and shuttled down, shortwave amplitude modulation broadcasts in Portugal.

The logbook isn’t mandatory but it would be great if you send your log to the organization.

Those who can and are willing to share it with us, providing us a lot of joy, please be so kind and send your records to
cs5arla+dia.do.am@gmail.com

All participants that accomplish a single contact with CS5ARLA radio station, operated by Carlos Mourato (CT4RK), will receive a participation certificate.

Best regards from Portugal.

João Costa CT1FBF
Vogal da Direcção da ARLA

 

WARNING from G3GVB.  if you are not an experienced AM user read the manual where it will v. likely warn you to operate on no more than 30 % of usual SSB power carrier when using AM

 

After that wonderful flowery Portugese announcement, the remainder of weekend on the radio events seem limp and insipid

The ARRL CW Sweepstakes Contest,

NCCC RTTY Sprint,

NCCC CW Sprint,

IPARC CW Contest,

 

Ukrainian DX Contest,

RSGB International SSB Sprint Contest,

IPARC SSB Contest,

EANET Sprint, High Speed Club CW Contest,

 

 

The ARS Spartan CW Sprint is scheduled for November 8.

 

The Phone Fray, CWops Mini-CWT CW Test and

 

RSGB 80-Meter Club SSB Sprint are scheduled for November 9. (why are’nt we in that ?) it’s club night !

 

Please see November QST, page 94 and the ARRL and WA7BNM contest web sites for details

 

 

Forthcoming WADARC CLUB MEETINGS

 

• Sat 5 November . GB3WO Repeater net 7.00 pm (expect fireworks)
• Sunday Breakfast – a good nosh from the buffet for those not jostling for parking space at Kempton Park-   Sun 6th November – 9:00 am –
• She was only an ATU’s daughter but she always let the Band  filter past. or something along those lines as we watch in awe while Phil. UDU demonstrates the versatility of two different ATU’s in unison. (Sort of AC/DC ?) – Wed 9th November – 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm
• Club Evening – Wed 16th November – 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm
• Construction Competition – Wed 23rd November – 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm
• Club Evening – Wed 30th November – 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm
• Sunday Breakfast – Sun 4th December – 9:00 am – 10:00 am
• Test or Practical Evening – Wed 7th December – 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm
• Christmas Party – Wild !  Wed 14th December – 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
• Club Evening – Wed 21st December – 8:00 pm – 9:30
• Club Meeting on the repeater Wed 28th December – 8:00 pm – whenever.
• Sunday Breakfast – ( just black coffee and dry toast pse.) Sun 1st January – 9:00 am – 10:00 am

DX News

4 November, 2016

 

TANZANIA, 5H. Maurizio, IK2GZU will be QRV as 5H3MB from November 7 to December 2. QSL to home call.

 

MADAGASCAR, 5R. Eric, F6ICX will be QRV as 5R8IC from Sainte Marie Island, IOTA AF-090, from November 6 to February 4, 2017. Activity will be holiday style on the HF bands using mostly CW. QSL to home call.

 

SENEGAL, 6W. A group of operators will be QRV as 6V1IS from Dakar from November 7 to 19. They also plan to be active from islands Ngor and Goree, both IOTA AF-045. Activity will be on the HF bands using CW, SSB and various digital modes. QSL via IK7JWX.

 

ALGERIA, 7X. Special event station 7U2ARU will be QRV from November 7 to 15 in celebration of the 2nd anniversary of the founding of the Algerian Amateur Radio Union. QSL via operators’ instructions.

 

CHINA, BY. Bodo, DF8DX plans to be QRV as B4/DF8DX from Shanghai from November 9 to 16. QSL via operator’s instructions.

 

ANTARCTICA. Alan, MW0YCC will be QRV as VP8DPJ while stationed at the British Antarctic Territory Rothera Research Station on Adelaide Island, IOTA AN-001, until April 2018. QSL via operator’s instructions.

 

EASTER ISLAND, CE0. Esteban, XQ7UP is QRV as CE0Y/XQ7UP until November 12. Activity is mostly on 20, 15 and 10 meters using SSB, RTTY and PSK31. QSL direct to home call.

 

SOUTH COOK ISLANDS, E5. Roly, ZL1BQD is QRV as E51RR from Rarotonga Island, IOTA OC-013, until November 25. Activity is on 40, 20 and 15 meters using CW, JT9 and JT65. QSL to home call.

HONDURAS, HR. John, AD8J is currently QRV as HR9/AD8J from Guanaja Island, IOTA NA-057, until November 12. Activity is on 80 to 10 meters using mostly CW. QSL direct to home call.

 

GUINEA-BISSAU, J5. A group of operators will be QRV as J5T from the Bissagos Islands, IOTA AF-020, in November. Activity will be on 160 to 10 meters. QSL direct to IK2CIO.

 

JAPAN, JA. Yamao, JR5JAQ plans to be QRV as JR5JAQ/6 from the Tokara Islands, IOTA AS-049, from November 6 to 9. Activity will be on 40, 20 and 15 meters using CW and SSB. QSL via bureau.

 

FERNANDO DE NORONHA, PY0. Martin, LU9EFO will be QRV as PY0F/LU9EFO from November 7 to 14. Activity will be on the HF bands using mostly SSB. QSL direct to F4HBW.

 

MALI, TZ. Jeff, TZ4AM is QRV from Bamako. Of late he has been active on 160 meters. QSL via W0SA.

 

MICRONESIA, V6. Michael, DF8AN will be QRV as V63AJ from Yap Island, IOTA OC-012, from November 6 to 20. Activity will be on the HF bands using CW, with some RTTY and PSK. QSL to home call.

 

CAMBODIA, XU. A large group of operators are QRV as XU7MDC from Phnom Penh until November 13. Activity is on the HF bands using CW, SSB and RTTY with up to five stations active. QSL via I

Forecast:

 

No space for propagation news this week so that you can become aware of drama involving HF radio. Start listening..(it beats the hell out of “The Archers”)

Broadcasters, Jammers, Wreak Havoc on Amateur Radio Frequencies

10/25/2016

The battle continues between Radio Eritrea (Voice of the Broad Masses) and Radio Ethiopia, which is said to be jamming the Eritrean broadcaster with broadband white noise. The problem for radio amateurs is that the battle is taking place in the 40 meter phone band — 7.145 and 7.175 MHz — with the jamming signal reported by the IARU Region 1 Monitoring System (IARUMS) to be 20 kHz wide on each channel. The on-air conflict has been going on for years; Ethiopia constructed new transmitting sites in 2008 and is said to use two or three of them for jamming purposes. The interfering signals can be heard in North America after dark. According to IARUMS Region 1 Coordinator Wolf Hadel, , Radio Eritrea is airing separate programs on each frequency.

Other AM broadcast intruders on 40 meters include Radio Hargeisa in Somaliland on 7.120 MHz, which, Hadel said, is even audible in Australia and Japan. He further reports that the Voice of Iran’s signal on 7.205 MHz is splattering up to 5 kHz on either side of its channel, while Radio France International, which operates on the same frequency, is splattering down to 7.185 MHz.

Other odds and ends on 40 meters include the so-called “V beacon” on 7.091.5 MHz. The looped CW signal, which sends the letter “V” over and over, is audible every day. Hadel said the signal originates in Kazakhstan.

Hadel has reported HF radar signals from Russia on 40 and 20 meters, with “long-lasting transmissions, often with many spurious emissions.”

A Russian Air Force frequency-shift keyed signal identifying in CW as “REA4,” has been active on 7.117 MHz, while a Russian Navy FSK signal “Sevastopol” has been observed on 14.180. .. Other Russian military signals have been heard on 7.016 MHz.

Chinese broadband OTH radars on 14 MHz generated some “Woodpecker” complaints, “but this was not the Russian ‘Woodpecker,’” Hadel clarified. Mario Taeubel, observed 11 OTH radars on 40 meters, 40 on 20 meters, 13 on 15 meters and 2 on 10 meters during September.

Hadel reports that signals from Spanish and Portuguese, UK, and Irish fishing operations, Indonesian and Philippine pirates, and OTH radar signals are sprinkled throughout 80, 40, 20, and 15 meters, while signals from oceangoing sensor buoys are heard widely on various discrete frequencies on 10 meters.

 

 

There ! That should keep you all busy !

 

Bryan – G3GVB

 WADARC WEEKLY BULLETIN  –  OCT 28 2016 

 

THE PAST WEEK 

 

The net-via-repeater on Saturday was a matter of sevens:  7pm ,70 cms,  7 participants and Dorian is seeking stand-in net controllers for forthcoming Saturdays. The technical repeater performance itself is truly excellent.

 

.Late-night 40m and sunrise 20m were so good last weekend that some members stayed up so late on Saturday that they were too tired to get out of bed for the net next morning so…..

 

: No-one turned out for the 80m net on Sunday !!   🙁

 

Conditions became scrambled after the Wed. arrival of bad stuff spewed out by the sun four days earlier

 

The club is grateful to BOB G3OOU for his excellent talk and demonstrations of measurement techniques and equipment.  Much of the gear costs more than an individual might want to invest and there was talk of club owned test-gear being available for testing peoples radios but that brings us back, as ever, to::

 

WE NEED OUR OWN PREMISES

 

One might have hoped a  whole year of committee talking would have produced something concrete by now but …….Hello ?  Committee ? Wassup? !.

 

RALLIES THIS WEEKEND

 

None around the South-East  but get geared up for KEMPTON PARK RALLY  next weekend.

 

 

THIS WEEKEND ON THE RADIO

The CQ Worldwide SSB DX Contest, (a huge opportunity to work new countries.)

NCCC RTTY Sprint

NCCC CW Sprint

 

Nov 2

 

The UKEICC 80-Meter SSB Contest,

CWops Mini-CWT CW Test and Phone Fray

see October QST, and WA7BNM contest web sites for details

 

 

Upcoming Club Events

• Club Evening – Wed 2nd November – 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm
• Sunday Breakfast – a good nosh from the buffet –   Sun 6th November – 9:00 am – 10:00 am
• Quiz Night – Wed 9th November – 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm
• Club Evening – Wed 16th November – 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm
• Construction Competition – Wed 23rd November – 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm
• Club Evening – Wed 30th November – 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm
• Sunday Breakfast – Sun 4th December – 9:00 am – 10:00 am
• Test or Practical Evening – Wed 7th December – 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm
• Christmas Party – Wild !  Wed 14th December – 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
• Club Evening – Wed 21st December – 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm
• Repeater net.  –  Wed 28th December – 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm
• Sunday Breakfast – Sun 1st January – 9:00 am – 10:00 am

 

DX NEWS

 

 

TUNISIA, 3V. Special event station TS16WTSA is QRV until November 3 to recognize the World Telecommunications Standardization Assembly being held in Hammamet. QSL via operators’ instructions.   SAMOA, 5W. Hiro, JF1OCQ and Taka, JH1BED will be QRV as 5W7X and 5W0ST, respectively, from October 31 to November 9. Activity will be on the HF bands using CW, SSB and RTTY. QSL to home calls.   DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO, 9Q. Fernando, EA4BB is QRV as 9Q6BB from Goma during the next three years. QSL via W3HNK.   QATAR, A7. Members of the Qatar Amateur Radio Society and the Danish Contest Academy will be QRV as A73A in the CQ World Wide SSB DX contest as a Multi/Multi entry. QSL via A71A.   TAIWAN, BV. A large group of operators will be QRV as BV2A/3 in the CQ World Wide SSB DX contest. QSL via BV2A.   ANDORRA, C3. Members of the Unio de Radioaficionats Andorrans will be QRV as C37NL in the CQ World Wide SSB DX contest. QSL via operators’ instructions.   EASTER ISLAND, CE0. Ignacy, NO9E is QRV as CE0Y/NO9E until November 3. Activity is on 40 to 10 meters. QSL to home call.   CAPE VERDE, D4. A group of operators will be QRV as D4C in the CQ World Wide SSB DX contest. QSL via operators’ instructions.   PHILIPPINES, DU. A group of operators will be QRV as DX2R in the CQ World Wide SSB DX contest as a Multi/Single entry. QSL via W3HNK.   HAITI, HH. Jim, VA3MPG is QRV as HH2/VA3MPG while here on a 1-year mission that ends on November 27. He is active in his spare time during his evenings after 2100z on 40, 20, 15 and 10 meters using SSB, PSK31 and JT65L. QSL direct to VE3NLS.   MARIANA ISLANDS, KH0. A group of operators will be QRV as AH0K in the CQ World Wide SSB DX contest. QSL via OH6GDX.   BENIN, TY. Francois, F6AJL is QRV as TY5AA until November 30. Activity is on 80 to 10 meters. QSL to home call.   CANADA. VE. Operators Martin, VA2AMH, Marc-Andre, VE2MBT, Pascal, VE2WHZ and Marc-Andre, VE2EVN will be QRV as VB2W in the CQ World Wide SSB DX contest. QSL via operators’ instructions.   LAOS, XW. Champ, E21EIC is QRV as XW1IC until November 1. This includes an entry in the CQ World Wide SSB DX contest. QSL to home call.   INDONESIA, YB. Burkhard, DL3KZA and Amiruddin, YB9IPY/8, will be QRV as YB8/DL3ZKA from Salayar Island, IOTA OC-236, from November 1 to 14. Activity will be on 40 to 10 meters using CW and SSB. QSL via DL3KZA.   ASCENSION ISLAND, ZD8. Oliver, W6NV will be QRV as ZD8W in the CQ World Wide SSB DX contest. Before and after the contest he is QRV on 160 to 10 meters. QSL to home call.   CHATHAM ISLANDS, ZD7. A group of operators are QRV as ZL7G until November 9. Activity is on 160 to 10 meters using CW, SSB and RTTY with three to four stations active. QSL via G3TXF.

 

Propagation forecast

 

HF   Outlook:

 

(valid from 1230 UT, 27 Oct 2016 until 29 Oct 2016)

27 Oct 2016 10.7-cm Flux: 078 / Ap: 026
28 Oct 2016 10.7-cm Flux: 077 / Ap: 031
29 Oct 2016 10.7-cm Flux: 077 / Ap: 013

Forecast:

Solar Flares:
Quiet conditions (<50% probability of C-class flares)
Geo-Disturbance:
Minor storm expected (A>=30 or K=5)
Solar Proton Event:
Quiet

Comment from the SIDC (RWC Belgium): Flaring activity remained well below the C-class level during the period. NOAA 2603 was stable, with another small sunspot region developing at N09W45. No earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were observed.

(Comments issued on 27 Oct 2016, 1230 UT)

 

VHF

 

Warning.  Expect extensive flutter and Doppler-shift effects on Halloween night due to flying broomsticks

 

POTTON 2

 

You hear a rare DX station and you’d love to work him (but so would a hundred and seventy-three other stations – all at the same time). As always, listen, listen then listen. Never mind what he claims, on what frequency are the stations whom he is actually answering ?, Place your TX on that frequency (You will need to work “split”. ) Imagine yourself in the DX operators shoes. What does he hear ? The moment he sends or says, QRZ ? He (and you) hear a total cacophony from 173 stations for six seconds while they send their call-signs then go quiet to listen for a reply while his brain struggles to consider whether he did or did not hear a complete call-sign. The deep silence in that second six-second period extends all the way to planet Mars. NOW is your moment, clearly and calmly send your call. It will ring clear as a bell all across the world. DX operator brain will relax, he has a complete call to answer, (yours) 45 seconds later you have exchanged reports, confirmed the contact and said thank you.

The air will now smoke and reek with garlic as thwarted Italians shout  even louder, but you, cool,  sang-froid Englishman,  will turn down the audio , smooth the creases in your trousers and saunter down to tea  on the lawn with cucumber sandwiches. I know that it works ……….because I have been there..

 

 

Bryan – (Formerly VS2FD )