
Good morning. It's Sunday the 25th of July and here is the GB2RS news
broadcast, prepared by the Radio Society of Great Britain.

First the headlines:- The RSGB's featured once again on the BBC; the 1994 RSGB
President has been elected; and the North Devon UHF repeater is off the air.

The RSGB has once again been in the forefront of publicising amateur radio in
the media. Broadcast last night on the BBC World Service was a programme
called Waveguide which featured amateur radio and the RSGB's role in the hobby
for the past eighty years.

The Council of the RSGB has elected Ian Suart, GM4AUP, President for 1994. Ian
is well known for his work as Zonal Council Member for Scotland, and his
Chairmanship of the Data Communications Committee.

GB3ND, the North Devon seventy centimetre voice repeater on RB14 is currently
off the air and will be out of service until the NTL engineering work on the
site is completed. The North Devon Repeater Group apologises for any
inconvenience caused and will keep users informed of developments via GB2RS.
For further information contact the repeater group secretary G3PGA whose
address is correct in the RSGB Call Book.

The RSGB has announced details of this year's elections to the Society's
Council, and for the RSGB liaison Officer scheme. Full information appears in
the August edition of Radio Communication which is being sent to all members
this week.

Due to unforeseen circumstances the venue for the Torbay Mobile Rally,
scheduled for Sunday the 29th of August, has been changed from that
advertised. The new venue is the Audley Park School, Barton Road, Torquay.
Further details from G3HTX on 0803 526762.

Now some items of HF DX news from the weekly RSGB DX News Sheet which is
edited by Brendan McCartney, G4DYO. From Tuvalu, WB6RZK will sign T26RF from
Wednesday the 28th until Tuesday the 3rd of August. From Liechtenstein, DL5DCM
and DL6DCM will sign HB0/own call from tomorrow the 26th until the Friday the
30th of July on SSB only. From Hong Kong, G0TBI will be active as VR2/G0TBI
from Friday the 30th of July for 14 days. Check CW frequencies 14,017 and
21,017kHz and SSB frequencies 14,245 and 21,245kHz, all plus or minus QRM.

We know of five rallies taking place today Sunday the 25th:

The Colchester Radio & Computing Rally is being held at the St Helena School,
Sheepen Road, Colchester, which is adjacent to the Colchester inner by-pass,
Avenue of Remembrance. The venue is signposted from the A12. Doors open at
10am and there is easy access for wheelchairs and ample car parking space.
There will be trade stands catering for radio and computer needs as well as
components suppliers. The event also features an amateur radio car boot sale
and a bring & buy stall. Morse test will be available on demand, but
candidates should remember to bring two passport-type photographs. Talk-in
will be on channel S22.

The Norfolk Amateur Radio Club and Hewett School Radio and Electronics Group
Rally is being held at Hewett School, Norwich. Doors open at 10.00am. There
are trade stands and a bring & buy stall plus various displays. The venue is
described as suitable for all the family.

The East Yorkshire Radio Rally is being held at the Beverley Racecourse, North
Humberside. Doors open at 11.00am, or 10.45 for disabled visitors. The rally
features trade and special interest group stands and a bring and buy stall.
There will be model aircraft displays through out the afternoon. The
organisers regret that unforeseen problems have prevented the running of Morse
tests at this event. The revised schedule is now:  at 12 noon the East Yorks
Repeater Group will give a lecture, then at 1.30pm there will be a lecture by
the East Yorkshire Packet support group. At 3.00pm the RSGB RLO and General
meeting takes place. Talk-in is on channel S22 via GB4EYR.

The Radio Amateurs Invalid and Blind Club's Annual Romsey Picnic is being held
at the Broadlands, Romsey, Hampshire. The event features the usual
attractions, plus a junk sale, a bring & buy stall, refreshments and a grand
draw. All members, families, friends and supporters are welcome. Talk-in will
be on channel S22.

The Rugby Amateur Transmitting Society fifth Annual Rugby Radio Rally is being
held at the BP Truckstop on the A5, some 2 miles North from junction 18 of the
M1 motorway. Traders and visitors are welcome from 8.00am. The truckstop will
be open for catering and other facilities throughout the day. Talk-in will be
on channel S22 by GB5RRR.

We have been notified of only one rally for Sunday the 1st of August:

The McMichael Rally and Car Boot Sale is to be held at the Haymill Youth and
Community Centre, Burnham Lane, Slough. The Centre is near the Burnham railway
station. Starts at 10.30am. Talk-in will be on channel S22. Details from Neil,
G0SVN or Roy, G4XYN tel: 0628 25952. This rally was originally scheduled for
the 18th of July.

HF contest news now:

The first ever Islands on the Air SSB Contest started yesterday Saturday the
24th and finishes today Sunday at 1200GMT on 3.5 to 28MHz. See March RadCom
page 81 for full details. The RSGB RoPoCo-2 Contest will take place next
Sunday, the 1st of August from 0700 to 0900GMT between 3520 and 3570kHz CW
only. See February RadCom page 66 for contest exchange information.

VHF contest news:

The RSGB 432MHz Low Power Contest is taking place today Sunday the 25th from
0800 to 1400GMT. It features four entry sections: single operator fixed,
single operator portable, all others and short wave listener. February RadCom
on page 66 has further details of this event. The RSGB's 2nd 432MHz Fixed
Contest is scheduled for Sunday the 22nd of August. See February RadCom page
67 for further details.

A special event callsign to look out for this week is GB0PG. This is the
Pinkneys Green Scout Group from Maidenhead, Berkshire operating during the
Groups Annual Camp at Tregate Castle in Monmouth from Saturday the 24th of
July for one week. Guests of the group at the camp will be 30 Hungarian Scouts
and Leaders. This is part of a two-year project which aims to assist in the
redevelopment of Scouting in Hungary and to encourage international friendship
through Scouting and Amateur Radio. The Pinkneys Green Scouts, who have raised
over 10,000 in eight months to support the project, will travel back to
Szombathely {pronounced Sombatey} Hungary in 1994. The operators of GB0PG are
Peter and David Roberts, G0JPE and G1BPV respectively. Operating frequencies
are 3,740, 7,090, 14,290, 21,360, 24,960 and 28,990kHz as well as 2m and 70cm
FM and SSB. Contacts with any station are welcomed, especially so, if
connected with Scouting or with Hungary.

And here is the solar factual data

For the period from the 12th to the 17th of July, with the quiet side of the
sun looking our way, solar activity has been low. Nothing of any note has been
reported. We are short of Meuden data this week so most is USAF/NOAA data. No
flares have been reported. The sunspot count has meaned about the 90s. Solar
flux levels tended to increase slightly from 86 units on the 12th up to 100
units by the 18th, with the period averaging 91 units. Geomagnetic activity
has declined with the period becoming quiet by the 14th with the Ap indices
dropping to only 2 units. The period averaged 6 units; the state has been 'nil
nothing to report'. We do not have all the radio quality index data to hand,
but what we do have indicates that on the 13th to the 15th of July levels were
normal, with all circuits being much the same. The aa indices are not to hand
this week. The X-ray flux recovered from only A5.3 units on the 12th up to
B1.3 by the 18th with the period averaging B1.0 units. The smoothed monthly
values for December 1992 are: Spots RI 73.2; flux 127.3; magnetic Ap 16.2.
Bartell rotation 2158 begins on the 21st of July.

Now the ionospheric data for Central France:

The F2 daytime critical frequencies at Poitiers, as reported by Meudon, are
also incomplete this week. For the 12th to the 15th of July the daily highs
average 7.5MHz and the darkness hour lows 4.1MHz. The 15th was marked by seven
hours of blanketing Sporadic E.

Now the ionospheric data for the north:

Again we have limited data. For the period 12th to the 15th of July the F2
daytime critical frequencies at Ekaterinberg averaged 6.2MHz and the darkness
lows 4.8MHz. Cycle 22 has caught out the forecasters on a number of occasions,
so for what it is worth the latest forecast for spot minimum is May 1996 with
a smoothed count of about 6, but in fact the cycle is declining very quickly
and could well finish ahead of the forecast.

And lastly the solar forecast:

This week the more active side of the sun will be coming into view. Solar flux
levels are expected to be about 100. Geomagnetic activity could be unsettled
due to the passage of a coronal hole. Ionospheric levels based on the radio
quality indices are expected to be normal at first then declining as the week
goes by.

Finally in the main news, SSL has informed the Society that as of last
Wednesday morning, the latest callsigns issued were in the G0 T X and
G7 O Y series, and Novice calls in the 2 0 A G and 2 1 C C series. .

You're listening to GB2RS, the news broadcasting service of the Radio Society
of Great Britain, transmitting in the 80, 40, 6 and 2 metre bands.

