Also in GB2RS this week…

| August 4, 2017

Online voting is now open to determine which scoring system will be used in the UKAC contests from 6m though to 23cm for 2018. Online voting on this consultation will remain open until 2359 BST on 20 August 2017. Those eligible to vote are current RSGB Members who have taken part in an RSGB VHF, UHF or SHF contest in the past five years either as single operators, or as members of a multi-operator entry, as verified against the Contest Committee database. If you have changed your call sign since entering your last VHF Contest, please include both your old and new call signs. The vote can be reached by going to www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/UKAC_Vote.

The MSF radio signal is a dedicated time broadcast that provides an accurate and reliable source of UK civil time, based on the NPL time scale UTC. The annual shutdown of the MSF time signal service to allow safe maintenance of the masts and antennas, including greasing of the stays, will take place between 14 and 31 August 2017. The service will be off-air from 8am to 7pm each day, including weekends. If the weather is unsuitable for work to be carried out, then the service will not be turned off. If the work is completed sooner than 7pm on any day, the service will be restored as soon as possible.

GB2RS newsreader Reg, G8VHI will be away on 13 August 2o17 so there will be no 2m SSB transmission at 2030 on 144.250MHz. There will only be the 145.525MHz FM broadcast, with a slightly reduced coverage, as the reserve reader Jim, G4AEH will be reading. SSB will return on 20 August 2017.

The Danish national society, EDR, celebrates its 90th anniversary in August. Danish radio amateurs will, throughout 2017, be active with OZ90EDR, OX90EDR and 5P90EDR. On 15 August 2017 from 0000UTC until 2359UTC there will be extensive activity with these call signs and the special Headquarters station, OZ90HQ, and also the Joker station, OV90EDR, will be active. On the 19th, OZ90HQ will be active again. After the 19th, the HQ station will go back to using OZ1HQ. All contacts on the 15th and 19th will be valid for the EDR 90 Anniversary Award. Read more about the award on www.OZ90EDR.dk.

Alan Betts, G0HIQ recently stepped down as chair of the Examinations Group. His successor has been announced as Professor Peter Richmond, M0HBL. Peter has been interested in amateur radio since his schooldays and this interest in electricity and magnetism led to a career with Unilever looking into the effectiveness of washing powders and the nature of food. A lengthy career in research and general management followed, including a post in Trinity College Dublin applying his physics skills to problems in economics and social science, which continues to this day. On retirement, Peter obtained his licence and joined the Examinations Group. You can read more about Peter and the work of the Examinations Group on the group’s web pages.

Thames Amateur Radio Group is hosting an RSGB Train the Trainers event on Saturday, 9 December 2017 between 9am and 5pm. Training is open to candidates from any club and is delivered free to RSGB Members, but the club will be asking for a £5 donation per candidate towards hall hire, buffet lunch and refreshments. To book send an email to Nigel.m0ich@gmail.com.

The annual Churches and Chapels on the Air event takes place on 9 September 2017, between 10am and 4pm. Most operation is on 40m SSB. If you are putting a station on please register your event with John, G3XYF by email to g3xyf@btconnect.com. A list of CHOTA stations will be on www.wacral.org.

Ofcom has updated the conditions of the 2300-2302MHz microwave NoV. Operation from Jersey and Guernsey is now also permitted under the latest terms. As many of the existing three year NoVs are due to expire, all holders are encouraged to renew online, free, to benefit from the latest terms. Separately, Ofcom has issued frequency clearances for four microwave beacons. These are GB3FNM at Farnham on 2.3GHz, GB3LPC at Bampton in 3.4GHz, a move of GB3KEU to Finningley on 5.7GHz and a change to GB3KBQ in Taunton on 10GHz. These are all Secondary allocations where RSGB supports and encourages activity.

Category: GB2RS Headlines