WADARC meets at – Lions Hall, 21 Roberts Road, Lancing. BN15 8AR.
This week:
Roger (G7VBR) and Alan (G4GNX) collected the HF aerial, the collinear and two poles from Lancing Parish Hall last Monday. They are now residing in the WADARC store until needed.
WADARC are going to have a special sale (donations only) to allow club (only) members to pick up a few goodies, including components left over by G8FMJ. This will be in a few months time when the weather is warmer and we can have a good tidy of the store without freezing!.
Last evening’s meeting at Lions Hall was short-lived. Unfortunately, when Alan got there, it was obvious there was something wrong with the heating system. Despite efforts to get the boiler to work, we had to abandon it and switched it off for safety. Ten of us then decided to have a cup of tea and biscuits, keeping our overcoats and hats on and chatted for an hour before returning home.
The planned “Antennas” videos were not shown and will be shown NEXT Wednesday 7th March instead.
Hopefully the weather will be better and more people will turn out.
One member has reported that when accessing GB3CC (Chichester) he was also accessing GB3WO. The two repeaters are only 12.5KHz apart and as many rigs (especially older ones) are on 25KHz spacing with the inherent wider deviation, it’s not really too surprising. If you have a narrow setting for 70cms, please use it. If not, reduce your deviation (preferably check using a deviation meter).
Although HF conditions have not been great I have worked a bit on 15m band with my new rotatable dipole (heard 9X9PJ strong, but could not beat the pile-up) … so I am keeping any eye on that band despite the low sun-spot numbers …. (my neighbours with the horrid plasma TV are away for three weeks so I can hear the RF world again all day long – horray!)
73’s Jonathan, G1EXG
CLUB MEETINGS & EVENTS
- Videos and discussion on Antenna Types – Wednesday 7th March – 8.00pm-10.00pm
- Tea and chat night – Lions Hall, Lancing – Wednesday 21st March – 8.00pm-10.00pm
- Use of modern plastics – talk – Norman, M0EBI – Lions Hall, Lancing – Wednesday 28th March – 8.00pm-10.00pm
- Tea and chat night – Lions Hall, Lancing – Wednesday 4th April – 8.00pm-10.00pm
For further information as it occurs, please visit the WADARC website: www.wadarc.org.uk
NETS
Monday – 2 metres 145.425 MHz, FM, 7.30pm (local)
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, 7.30am-8.00am (local)
RALLIES
4 March 2018 Exeter Radio & Electronics Rally
America Hall, De La Rue Way Pinhoe, Exeter, EX4 8PW.
Open 10:30/10:15 disabled & B&B booking – may open earlier in inclement weather.
Admission £2. Trade. B&B. Catering.
Details: Pete, G3ZVI, 07714-198374, g3zvi@yahoo.co.uk
11 March 2018 Dover Radio Club Rally
Whitfield Village Hall, Sandwich Road, Manley Close, Whitfield, Dover, CT16 3LY.
Open 10:00. Entry £2. Talkin. Catering. Trade. Auction at 12:30.
Details: Aaron Coote, 2E0FQR, 07714-654267, aaroncoote@hotmail.co.uk
Web: http://www.darc.org.uk
Details of other UK rallies can be found on this excellent website: http://www.g4rga.org.uk/All.html
RAGCHEW
Winter 2017 edition published – http://www.wadarc.org.uk/ragchew/winter-201718
Propagation
4th March 2018 RSGB | March 2, 2018
HF
As we move into March, HF conditions should be well under way to being more spring-like. As the days gets longer and the nights get shorter, the LF and MF bands can become less attractive and the HF bands can show a little more life for a little longer into the evening. March is also good month for north-south paths such as UK to South Africa and South America.
Last week saw a mixed bag, propagation-wise, with a K-index of 5 on Tuesday the 27th Feb. but there were otherwise calmer geomagnetic conditions later in the week. There were some HF highlights, including TY1TT in Benin being very audible on Tuesday on 20m. There were also some loud east coast US CW stations on 20m near sunset, which bodes well.
NOAA predicts the solar flux index will be in the high 70s next week and geomagnetic conditions will be largely settled due to a predicted lack of coronal hole activity. As this report was being prepared, there were some coronal holes, but only at the solar poles. This means their associated high-speed solar wind may not be Earth-directed. So a solar flux index of 78, settled geomagnetic conditions and equinox-type propagation could throw up one or two surprises on 20, 17 or 15m, hopefully just in time for the Commonwealth Contest on the weekend of the 10th and 11th March. But we will have to wait a few more weeks yet before the start of the sporadic E season, so 10m openings may be more elusive.
VHF and up …
Last week saw some good snow scatter propagation on the microwave bands, coinciding—for once—with the SHF UKAC contest. Paths up the eastern side of the UK were particularly good as the snow barrelled in from the continent.
The cold, Siberian blast from the East last week is being displaced by slightly less cold weather from the south. These transitions can often involve strong winds, ruling out any tropo propagation, at least to begin with. Many weather models get us into positive daytime temperatures next week, with a complex pattern of weak lows around Britain. Not exactly ideal for tropo either, even though winds will be lighter. However, with such large amounts of snow on the ground, there will be periods when it’s very misty, and warmer air overlaying the cold snow fields could produce slightly lifted conditions for limited paths.
The long winter wait for the return of Northern hemisphere sporadic E season continues, so the best opportunity for DX on the lower VHF bands still lies in early morning random meteor scatter contacts.
Last week’s lunar perigee and high declination brought good EME conditions, but declination went negative again today and the Moon is heading out to its apogee next Sunday. Get your EME contacts in early this week, as path loses will increase and Moon windows shorten as the week progresses.
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
This week’s bulletin was made possible with information provided by
W3UR, The Daily DX, the OPDX Bulletin, 425 DX News, DXNL, Contest
Corral from QST and the ARRL Contest Calendar and WA7BNM web sites.
Thanks to all.
SPRATLY ISLANDS. A large group of operators will be QRV as 9M0W
from Layang Layang Island, IOTA AS-051, from March 6 to 13.
Activity will be on 160 to 6 meters using CW, SSB and various
digital modes. QSL via YT1AD.
EQUATORIAL GUINEA, 3C. Operators YL2GM, YL1ZF and YL2KL are QRV as
3C3W from Bioko, IOTA AF-010, until March 27. Activity is on 160 to
10 meters using CW, SSB and RTTY. QSL direct to YL2GN.
ANNOBON, 3C0. In addition to their Equatorial Guinea operation,
operators YL2GM, YL1ZF and YL2KL are also QRV as 3C0W from Annobon,
IOTA AF-039, until March 27. Activity is on 160 to 10 meters using
CW, SSB and RTTY. QSL direct to YL2GN.
VIET NAM, 3W. Wolf, DL5MAE is QRV as 3W2MAE until March 6. He has
been active on 30 meters using CW. QSL to home call.
BARBADOS, 8P. Tom, W2SC will be QRV as 8P5A in the ARRL
International DX SSB Contest as a Single Op/All Band/High Power
entry. QSL direct to HA1AG.
CROATIA, 9A. Members of the Radio Club Croatian Flora Fauna are QRV
as 9A200S during all of 2018 to commemorate the commissioning 200
years ago of the Savudrija Lighthouse, ARLHS CRO-134. QSL via
9A2MF.
EASTER ISLAND, CE0. A group of operators are QRV as XR0YD until
March 15. Activity is on 160 to 10 meters using CW, SSB, RTTY and
FT8. QSL via DL4SVA.
ECUADOR, HC. Bill, W0OR is QRV as HC1DW from Cotacachi. Activity
is on 80 to 10 meters. This includes being an entry in the ARRL
International DX SSB contest. QSL to home call.
ST. MAARTEN, PJ7. A group of operators are QRV as PJ0DX from Beacon
Hill until March 5. This includes being an entry in the ARRL
International DX SSB contest. QSL via IZ1MHY.
SUDAN, ST. Members of the Khartoum Sea Scouts National Radio Club
are QRV with special call ST60JOTA. Activity of late has been on 20
meters using SSB. QSL direct to ST2M.
EGYPT, SU. Jovica, E78A is now QRV as SU9JT until the end of 2018.
Activity is on the HF bands. QSL via E73Y.
COSTA RICA, TI. Operators WJ1B, W6PNG, W6HFP and K0BBC are QRV as
TI7/home calls from Las Villas del Guayabo until March 6. Activity
is on the HF bands. They will be active as TI7/WJ1B in the ARRL
International DX SSB contest. QSL to home calls.
ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS, VU4. John, G4IRN is QRV as VU4G from
Lower Andaman Island, IOTA AS-001, until March 5. Activity is
mainly on 80 to 10 meters with an emphasis on CW. QSL to home call.
REVILLAGIGEDO, XA4. Mark, XE1B is QRV as 4B4B from Socorro Island,
IOTA NA-030, during all of March. Activity is on 160 to 6 meters
using only SSB. QSL direct to home call.
VANUATU, YJ. Michael, G7VJR is QRV as YJ0GB from Efate Island, IOTA
OC-035, until March 19. Activity is holiday style on 80 to 10
meters. QSL via M0OXO.
ZIMBABWE, Z2. Rune, LA7THA, Arne, LA7WCA and Thor, LA9VPA are QRV
as Z2LA until March 11. Activity is holiday style on 160 to 10
meters using CW and SSB. QSL via M0OXO.
KOSOVO, Z6. Look for Z60A to be QRV in the ARRL International DX
SSB contest.
CAYMAN ISLANDS, ZF. Dan, N6MJ is QRV as ZF2MJ from Grand Cayman
Island, IOTA NA-016, until March 5. Activity is on 160 to 10
meters. This includes being a Single Op/All Band entry in the ARRL
International DX SSB contest. QSL via N6MJ.
THIS WEEKEND ON THE RADIO. The ARRL International DX SSB Contest,
NCCC RTTY Sprint, QRP 80-Meter CW Fox Hunt, NCCC CW Sprint, Wake-Up.
QRP CW Sprint, Open Ukraine RTTY Championship, UBA Spring CW
Contest, NSARA 80-Meter Contest and SARL Hamnet 40-Meter Simulated
Emergency SSB Contest will certainly keep contesters busy this
upcoming weekend.
The RSGB 80-Meter Club Data Championship is scheduled for March 5.
The AGCW 80-Meter YL-CW Party and ARS Spartan CW Sprint are
scheduled for March 6.
The UKEICC 80-Meter SSB Contest, CWops Mini-CWT CW Test, NRAU
10-Meter Activity Contest, Phone Fray and QRP 40-Meter CW Fox Hunt
are all scheduled for March 7.
AWA John Rollins Memorial DX CW Contest is scheduled for March 7 to
8, and March 10 to 11.
The Novice Rig Roundup runs from March 3 to 11.
The ARRL International Grid Chase runs during all of 2018.
