THE PAST WEEK
As you will probably be aware, Ron – G3SKI tripped and broke his femur, which resulted in him being admitted to hospital. At the time of writing, all that is known is that Ron had an operation, from which he is recovering well. It’s not known when Ron will be discharged, so in the meantime, visits may be possible, but please check with Worthing Hospital first – ask for Ron Bravery. Be prepared for a wait whilst on the phone – they’re busy, as you might expect. 01903 205111
Last Wednesday’s meeting was a discussion on where WADARC is going in 2018 and beyond. Unfortunately a rather poor turnout of members, although those who did take part were of excellent quality and some good suggestions were recorded! Many thanks to those who took the trouble to participate. Details will be published soon.
We’re aiming to move to the Lions Hall sometime in the latter part of January, but we do need to finalise permission for our aerials to be erected. Once the holidays are over, there will be a concerted effort to progress the move to its ultimate conclusion. The club shack is still under negotiation.
CLUB MEETINGS & EVENTS
- Multi Band Nets on the air from home – Starting on 80 metres 3.712MHz then 40 metres 7.106 +- QRM – December 27th – 8.00pm onwards – Note: LPH CLOSED.
- Tea and Chat Evening – January 3rd – 8.00pm – 10.00pm
- RSGB Lecture “Breaking the Mould – a must for all who want to further our club – January 10th – 8.00pm – 10.00pm
For further information as it occurs, please visit the WADARC website: www.wadarc.org.uk
NETS
Monday – 2 metres 145.525 MHz, FM, 10.00am (local) – Traditional Christmas Morning Net
Thursday – 40 metres 7.106 MHz +/-QRM, SSB, 11.00am (local)
Saturday – 70 cms on GB3WO, 7.00pm (local)
Sunday – 80 metres 3.712 MHz +/- QRM, SSB, 9.30pm (local) – Christmas Eve Special
RALLIES
29 December 2017 Yeovil ARC Tabletop Rally [Friday]
Sparkford Village Hall, Church Road, Sparkford, Somerset BA22 7JN.
Open 10:00 to 15:00. Admission £3. Free parking. Light refreshments.
Details: Bob, 01963-440167, wjh069@gmail.com
Details of other UK rallies can be found on this excellent website: http://www.g4rga.org.uk/All.html
RAGCHEW
Autumn 2017 edition published – http://www.wadarc.org.uk/ragchew/autumn-2017-ragchew
PROPAGATION
HF:
LATEST SOLAR NEWS (Courtesy of Spaceweather News):
SOLAR SECTOR BOUNDARY CROSSING: On Dec. 22nd or 23rd, Earth will cross a fold in the heliospheric current sheet–a vast wavy structure in interplanetary space separating regions of opposite magnetic polarity. This is called a “solar sector boundary crossing,” and it could trigger geomagnetic activity around Earth’s poles. Arctic sky watchers should be alert for auroras when the crossing occurs. Free: Aurora alerts.
SUNSPOT SURPRISE: A new sunspot is rapidly growing in the sun’s northern hemisphere. In only 48 hours, AR2692 has multiplied 10-fold in area and now sprawls across more than 100,000 km of solar “terrain.”
The expanding sunspot is crackling with minor B-class solar flares. Activity could intensify if the sunspot’s magnetic field becomes tangled as it grows. Magnetic fields that criss-cross, mixing polarities, can explode–a process called “magnetic reconnection.” Astronomers with safe solar telescopes are encouraged to monitor this region for further developments.
For further info please visit: http://spaceweathernews.com/
Morning propagation on 40 metres continues to be sporadic and directional, although some signals were consistently strong over tens of minutes.
VHF/UHF:
Conditions in our area continue to be poor, with beacons sitting just above the noise.
Beacons often heard in our area:
VHF:
GB3WSX – IO80QW – 70.007 MHz
GB3BAA – IO91PS – 70.016 MHz
F1ZXK – JN18KF – 144.438 MHz
F5ZSF – IN88GS – 144.409 MHz
GB3VHF – JO01EH – 144.430 MHz
ON0VHF – JO20HP – 144.418 MHz
UHF:
F5XBA – JN18KF – 432.830 MHz
GB3UHF – JO01EH – 432.430 MHz
ON0UHF – JO20ET – 432.567 MHz
DX NEWS
HF:
This week’s bulletin was made possible with information provided by the OPDX Bulletin, 425 DX News, DXNL, Contest Corral from QST and the ARRL Contest Calendar and WA7BNM web sites. Thanks to all.
SENEGAL, 6W. Earl, WA3DX will be QRV as 6W1/WA3DX from Dakar, 6W7/WA3DX from Mbao, and 6W6/WA3DX from Kaolack from December 25 to January 12, 2018. Activity will be on 40 to 10 meters using SSB, SSTV and PSK. QSL direct to home call.
SENEGAL, 6W. Jacques, F6HMJ is QRV as 6W7/F6HMJ until January 15, 2018. Activity is on 20 to 10 meters using CW and some SSB, depending on local conditions. QSL to home call.
MALDIVES, 8Q. Roland, HB9VQQ is QRV as 8Q7HB from Kandima Island, IOTA AS-013, until December 30. Activity is holiday style on the HF bands using JT65 and FT8. QSL to home call.
WEST MALAYSIA, 9M2. Rich, PA0RRS is QRV as 9M2MRS from Penang Island, IOTA AS 015, until January 31, 2018. Activity is on 40 to 10 meters using CW, SSB and PSK. QSL to home call.
THE GAMBIA, C5. Frank, ON7RU will be QRV as C56RU from December 26 to January 1. Activity will be holiday style on the HF bands using CW and SSB. QSL direct to home call.
FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY, DA. Special event station DM900ZWI is QRV during all of 2018 to celebrate the 900th anniversary of the city of Zwickau. QSL via DM5JBN.
CANARY ISLANDS, EA8. Mauro, IV3HAX will be QRV as EA8/IV3HAX from Fuerteventura Island, IOTA AF-004, from December 24 to January 5, 2018. Activity will be on various HF bands with a focus on 160 and 80 meters using CW, RTTY and FT8. QSL direct to home call.
IRELAND, EI. Special event station EI50AOM is QRV for the next several months to commemorate the Tuskar Rock Air Tragedy of 1968. QSL via EI2KA.
SOLOMON ISLANDS, H4. Shane, VK4KHZ is QRV as H44DA from Busuone, Guadalcanal Island, IOTA OC-047, until sometime early January 2018. He is active holiday style on 80 to 10 meters using SSB, with his main focus on 6 meters. QSL direct to home call.
OGASAWARA, JD1. Harry, JG7PSJ will be QRV as JD1BMH from Chichijima, IOTA AS-031, from December 24 to January 2. Activity will be on 160 to 10 meters using CW, SSB and RTTY. QSL to home call.
DENMARK, OZ. Emil, DL8JJ, Laura, DO9JJ and Verjy, DL9JJ will be QRV with special event call sign OU0POLIO from December 23 to 26 to draw attention to End Polio Now. QSL via OZ1ACB.
MALI, TZ. Fox, PD0FOX is QRV as TZ/PD0FOX from Gao until January 2018 while working for the United Nations. Activity is in his spare time on 40 and 20 meters. QSL via operator’s instructions.
AUSTRALIA, VK. Special event station VI70HI is QRV from mainland Australia until February 28, 2018 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the first ANARE Expedition to Heard Island. Activity is on all bands and modes. QSL via M0OXO.
ROMANIA, YO. Special event station YP2018HNY is QRV from the club station in the Children’s National Palace in Bucharest until January 15, 2018 to celebrate Christmas and the New Year. Activity is on all HF bands. QSL via YO3KPA.
EL SALVADOR, YS. Markus, HB9KNA is QRV as YS1/HB9KNA from La Libertad until May 2018 while waiting for his permanent residence papers so that he can apply for his full YS call sign. Activity is on 160 to 6 meters using SSB. QSL to home call.
ASCENSION ISLAND, ZD8. Andy, M0HLT is licensed as ZD8AC for the next two years and plans to be active on 40 to 10 meters near the RSGB IOTA frequencies. QSL via operator’s instructions.
THIS WEEKEND ON THE RADIO
The QRP 80-Meter CW Fox Hunt, NCCC Sprint, Gedebage CW Contest and RAEM CW Contest are on tap for this weekend.
The DARC Christmas Contest is scheduled for December 26.
The CWops Mini-CWT CW Test, Phone Fray, QRP 40-Meter CW Fox Hunt and SKCC CW Sprint are scheduled for December 27.
Please see December QST, page 73, and the ARRL and WA7BNM contest web sites for details
VHF/UHF:
All times – Local
26th – 29th December – 50/70/144/432MHz Christmas Cumulatives Contest – 14.00-16.00
FINALÉ
As it’s “that” time of year, on behalf of your WADARC Committee and myself, I would like to wish you a very Happy Christmas and an even happier New Year.
73,
Alan. G4GNX
