Good morning. It's Sunday the 4th of April and here is the GB2RS news
broadcast, prepared by the Radio Society of Great Britain.

First the headlines:- 18MHz-band intruders have been removed by RSGB; there
are two new RSGB committee chairmen; and we have urgent news for Top band ARDF
enthusiasts.


The RSGB's Monitoring System, otherwise known as the Intruder Watch, has had
four recent successes which have been of benefit to all radio amateurs. An
Argentinian fax, naval data and two diplomatic stations have been removed from
the 18MHz band with the assistance of the Radiocommunications Agency. Brief
details of the role of the Monitoring System can be found on page 78 of the
RSGB Call Book and a fuller description is in the December 1992 edition of
Radio Communication. The Coordinator of this RSGB service is David Owen,
G0OES.

The RSGB Microwave Committee has a new chairman. He is Steve Davies, G4KNZ.
The previous Chairman, Mike Dixon, G3PFR, become the Microwave Manager. The
RSGB Planning Advisory Committee also has a new chairman. He is Geoff Bond,
G4GJB. Details of the Society's other office-holders can be found in the April
edition of RadCom.

The RSGB'93 Show takes place on Sunday the 16th of May at the National
Exhibition Centre, near Birmingham. There will be the usual trade stands in a
single huge hall, plus a large display of the work of RSGB Headquarters and of
the Society's committees. The National Vintage Communications Fair is also
being held that day in the NEC complex. Many visitors will wish to visit both
shows and reduced rates are available for this.

Next details of two ARDF event which, unfortunately have not appeared in Radio
Communication. The Top Band Amateur Radio Direction Finding contest for the
Geoff Peck Memorial Trophy take place today Sunday the 4th at Cowleaze Wood,
Stokenchurch, at NGR 727 958. Competitors need Map 165, Aylesbury and Leighton
Buzzard. Competitors should assemble at 13.00 for a 13.20 start. The next Top
Band ARDF is the Slade Qualifying Event which is scheduled for Sunday the 18th
of April. The venue is the Industrial Estate, 2 kilometres East of Bridgenorth
at NGR 739 927 found on Map 138, Kidderminster and Wyre Forest. Competitors
should assemble at 13.00, to start at 13.20. Competitors requiring tea should
notify John Drakeley on 021 772 2278 (work) or 021 770 3474 (home), no later
than Sunday the 11th of April.

Now some items of HF DX news from the weekly RSGB DX News Sheet which is
edited by Brendan McCartney, G4DYO.
From Ghana, the Dutch DAGOE Team will use the callsign 9G1AA from now until

Saturday the 10th of April. Check these frequencies: for CW 1832, 3505, 7005,
10105, 14020, 18075, 21020, 24900, 28020kHz and for SSB 1840, 3645, 3775,
3795, 7045, 7080, 14195, 18125, 21295, 24940, 28395kHz, RTTY 14090, 21090,
28090kHz From Liberia, F6FYD holds the call sign EL2YD and will be
intermittently on the air until the end of 1993. From Liechtenstein, HB9BCK
will be active as HB0/HB9BCK from Sunday the 11th until Saturday the 17th of
April. From Kampuchea, F1MXQ will be active as XU5SE from now until mid-June.
From Paraguay, the Radio Club Paraguayo will use the callsign ZP3AA to
activate the rare ZP3 call area from Thursday the 8th to Saturday the 10th of
April. Activity will be on all bands using CW and SSB. From the Maldives,
DL1ZBE will be active from Ziyaraifushi Island from Sunday the 11th, until the
2nd of May on the 20, 15 and 10 metres bands, running barefoot to a ground
plane antenna. DL9WVM will be active from Baros Island from Wednesday the 7th
to Wednesday the 21st. The callsigns are not known at the time of going to
press. From Aaland Island, a group of OH3 operators will be active from now
until Monday the 12th of April. OH0LQK will be active on 10 metres SSB and
slow CW on all bands, except the WARC bands. OH0NLP will be active on all
bands using CW and SSB. OH0MEP will be active on all bands using CW and SSB,
and especially the WARC bands, plus 20 metre RTTY. OH0MFP will be active on 10
metres SSB and 15 metres RTTY. Finally OH0MYD will be active on 10, 15, 40 and
80 metres using CW only. OH0/OH3NE may be aired on 6 metres.

Rally news now, and we know of two events for today, Sunday the 4th.

The Launceston Amateur Radio Rally is being held at the Launceston College in
Cornwall. Doors open at 10.30am. There are the usual traders, a large bring &
buy stall in two large halls. Hot snacks and refreshments are available and
talk-in is on channel S22.

The White Rose Amateur Radio Society Radio Rally is being held at the Allerton
High School, Kings Lane, Leeds 17. Doors open at 11.00am. 10.15am for disabled
visitors. There are the usual trade stands, an RSGB stand and a bring & buy
stall. Refreshments are available.

We know of no scheduled event for the Easter Weekend, Friday the 9th to Monday
the 12th.

Contest news next:

The first of the RSGB Slow CW Cumulative Contests is tomorrow, Monday the 5th,
from 1830 to 2000GMT, using 3.530 to 3.580MHz only. See March RadCom, page 81
for the rules which emphasise the importance of sending slowly during the
event. The RSGB's first 1296/2320MHz Fixed Contest will take place on Sunday
the 11th of April from 1600 to 2200GMT. See February's RadCom page 66 for the
rules.

Special event Station GB2RN, operated by the Royal Naval Amateur Radio Society
will be aired during Easter week. Activity starts on Saturday the 10th of
April, and runs through to Sunday the 18th. Station is operated from the
Bridge Wireless Office on HMS Belfast, located in the Upper Pool of London,
between London and Tower Bridge. Check these frequencies: 1.970, 3.660, 3.740,
7.090, 14.190, 21.360 and 29.933MHz, CW and SSB as appropriate. Operation will
also be on 2 metres FM and SSB. The local Packet Bulletin board will be
GB7HSN, accessed on 2 metres.

Time to get your diaries out as we have news of the eighth AMSAT-UK Annual
Colloquium which will be held from the 29th of July to the 1st of August at
the usual venue, the University of Surrey. Anyone wishing to present a paper
should submit an abstract no later than the 1st of May to: Doug Loughmiller
G0SYX, Colloquium Programme Chairman, Centre for Satellite Engineering
Research, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 5XH. Booking forms for visitors
to the Colloquium will be available from the 15th May. Requests for forms and
any enquiries should go to: Ron Broadbent, Hon Sec AMSAT-UK, London E12 5EQ,
enclosing a large self-addressed, stamped envelope.

And now the solar factual data

For the period 22nd to 28th March, magnetic storms seriously affected northern
latitudes but were declining by the end of the period. Only one flare of any
note was reported, an M2.3/SF on the 23rd. Otherwise only small B and C flares
were reported. Sunspot counts have meaned about the 67s and solar flux levels
have averaged 121 units hardly changing day to day. The geomagnetic Ap index
was up to full storm levels of 47 units on the 24th, about K7, due to a mag
storm starting at 21.55 hours on the 23rd, and though levels declined it
remained unsettled up to the end of the period. The Ap average for the period
was 23.2 units. The state has been mag storm at northern latitudes and 'Strat
warm in final stage'. The radio quality indices have declined with the
magnetic storm and were down to very poor on the 24th. The Stavanger circuits
were almost useless, with Moscow and New York being only slightly better. Due
to a mistake the aa indices were sent out for the wrong period, so are not to
hand this week. The X-ray flux has been very low and averaged only B2.3,
though the 24th was down to only B1.9. Levels were recovering as this bulletin
was being prepared. Bartells rotation started on the second of April.

Now the ionospheric data for Central France:

Not all the data is to hand but the F2 daytime critical frequencies at
Poitiers, as reported by Meudon, have declined considerably and averaged only
about 8.4MHz. On the 24th it was only 6.1MHz due to the magnetic storm. The
darkness hour lows were not affected so much, being about 3.0MHz. There has
been periods of spread-F most days.

Now the ionospheric data for the north:

The F2 daytime critical frequencies at Ekaterinberg have declined. The daily
highs averaged 8.2MHz and the darkness hour lows 3.2MHz. Solar cycle 22 is
still giving us surprises, after month 77 it is recording the second highest
mean level of solar flux, surpassed only by the highest cycle ever recorded,
cycle 19. It is also higher than the mean level of all passed cycles at this
time since solar flux has been measured.

And lastly the solar forecast:

This week, the most active side of the sun will be rotating away. Solar flux
levels are expected to be about the 150s. Geomagnetic activity is expected to
be unsettled due to the passage of coronal holes, and on the basis of history
the radio quality indices are expected to be normal. MUFs are expected to
reach 30MHz during the day on north/south circuits. Darkness hours are
expected to reach about 18MHz. And that's the end of the solar information.

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 J and
G7 O T series, and Novice calls in the 2 0 A E and 2 1 B P 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.