
Good morning. It's Sunday the 17th of March and here is the GB2RS news 
broadcast, prepared by the RSGB and intended for all radio amateurs and 
short-wave listeners. 

Today, the 17th of March, is not only St Patrick's Day, but also EI 
Activity Day. Stations in the Republic of Ireland are being encouraged 
to get on the air, so look for plenty of activity from EI stations 
today.

Now news of three RSGB events to visit:

There is a Zone "A" meeting at the Norbreck Radio, Electronics and 
Computing Exhibition in Blackpool at 2.30pm today, the 17th. All RSGB 
members and officials in Zone "A" - the North of England - are invited 
to attend. Come along and meet your RSGB Liaison Officer as well as the 
RSGB Council Member for Zone "A", Gordon Adams, G3LEQ.

RSGB headquarters in Potters Bar will be holding another Annual Open Day 
on Saturday the 4th of May, between 10.00am and 4.00pm. Come along to 
meet HQ staff, as well as Committee Chairmen and other senior 
volunteers. See how RadCom is put together, how we send out 3000 items 
of mail per week, find out how subscriptions and sales orders are 
processed, and have a guided tour of the headquarters building. You can 
also operate GB3RS from the HQ shack, visit the National Amateur Radio 
Museum, and browse through some of the historical and overseas 
publications in the National Amateur Radio Library. There will also be 
traders and second hand equipment stalls. For further information, 
contact Marcia Brimson, 2E1DAY, on 01707 659015.

And an RSGB Regional Open Forum meeting will take place on the 26th of 
May at Rivenhall Village Hall, Church Road, Rivenhall, Witham, in Essex. 
RSGB President Peter Sheppard, G4EJP; Executive Vice-President Ian Kyle, 
GI8AYZ; and Zonal Council member Fred Stewart, G0CSF, will be attending, 
as well as RSGB Liaison Officers and a representative from the Datacomms 
Committee. Further details can be obtained from Fred Stewart, G0CSF, 
whose address is correct in the latest RSGB Call Book.

A new station is now operational in the multiband worldwide beacon 
network. ZS6DN/B, located 5192 feet ASL near Pretoria in South Africa, 
transmits for 10 seconds on 14100, 18110, 21150, 24930 and 28200kHz, in 
sequence. The beacon runs with stepped power of up to 100 watts to a 
vertical antenna. YV5B in Venezuela and LU4AA in Argentina are already 
operational on these frequencies, and JA2IGY in Japan is expected to 
join soon.

The Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment, or "SAREX", will soon be flying 
again. Shuttle Mission STS-76 is scheduled to be launched on the 21st of 
March and land on the 30th. Among those on board will be KC5CKM, N5RAX 
and KC5ETH who are expected to make scheduled contacts with schools and 
family members, and have random contacts on 2 metres FM.

This year's International Marconi Day takes place on Saturday the 20th 
of April, and not on the 14th as stated in the March RadCom. The event 
is organised by the Cornish Radio Amateur Club and it is anticipated 
that around 40 stations will be active from locations connected with 
Marconi's radio experiments all over the world. Further details will be 
published in the April RadCom, which is due to be posted to RSGB members 
this week.

"Kidlink '96" takes place on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, the 2nd, 
3rd and 4th of May. Schools are invited to put on stations so that 
youngsters, especially those between the ages of 10 and 15, can use 
amateur radio to communicate with their peers in this country and 
overseas. For further details, contact Peter Daly, G0GTE, on 01438 
724991.

Now some items from the RSGB HF Contests Committee:

Groups intending to take part in the RSGB's National Field Day contest 
on the 1st and 2nd of June are reminded that they must register, by 
sending details of the site to be used to David Hill, G4IQM, by the 9th 
of April at the latest. For further details see page 4 of the RSGB 
Contesting Guide, which was published in the September 1995 RadCom.

The RSGB HF Contests Committee will be holding an all-day meeting in 
mid-April in order to examine the thinking behind all current RSGB HF 
contests, including the mix of modes in the present range of contests. 
The committee would welcome the views of any RSGB member, and these will 
be discussed at the meeting. Input should be addressed to Chris 
Burbanks, G3SJJ, Chairman of the HFCC, to arrive not later than the 12th 
of April. Chris's address is correct in the RSGB Call Book.

Now some items of HF DX news from the weekly RSGB DX News Sheet:

>From Saumarez Reef in Australia's Coral Sea Islands Territory, VK4FW/9 
is planning activity from the 17th of March for about three days, 
depending on the weather. This is an as-yet unactivated island group for 
the RSGB Islands on the Air awards, and a new IOTA reference number will 
be issued as and when the operation takes place.

>From Madeira, CT3/PA3GIO/M will be active from about Monday the 18th 
until the 25th of March, mainly on 10 to 20 metres SSB.

And from the Chausey Isles, near Jersey, F/G3SJJ and F/G3SWH will be 
active next weekend, the 23rd and 24th of March. Look for them on all 
bands, 10 to 80 metres, CW only. Chausey counts as EU-039 for the RSGB 
IOTA awards.

Now news of special event stations:

GB2IEE is on the air this weekend, the 16th and 17th, from the    
"Fun-Electric Family Technology Day" at the Northgate Arena, Victoria 
Road, in Chester. The station is being organised by the local branch of 
the Institution of Electrical Engineers. The exhibition is open to the 
public on Sunday the 17th from 10.00am to 5.00pm and admission is free.

"National Mills Day" will be on Sunday the 12th of May, when over 300 
windmills and watermills throughout the country will be open to the 
public, some just for that one day. Lucy Worsley from the Society for 
the Protection of Ancient Buildings has suggested that radio amateurs 
might like to put special event stations on the air from some of these 
locations in order to publicise the event. If you or your club would be 
interested in finding out more, contact Lucy Worsley on 0171 377 1644.

Next the Rally News:

The Norbreck Radio, Electronics and Computing Exhibition takes place 
today, the 17th of March, at the Norbreck Castle Hotel Exhibition Centre 
on Queen's Promenade, North Shore, in Blackpool. The event features over 
100 trade stands, a bring and buy stand, RSGB book stall and membership 
information stand and club stands. Doors open at 11.00 am and talk-in is 
on   2 metres channel S22.

The Pontefract and District Amateur Radio Society rally will take place 
at the Carleton Community Centre, Carleton, near Pontefract next Sunday 
the 24th of March. The rally features Morse tests on demand. Doors open 
at 11.00 am or 10.30 am for disabled visitors, and talk-in will be on 2 
metres channel S22. For more details ring 01977 677006.

And the Bournemouth Radio Society Annual Sale takes place at Kinson 
Community Centre, Pelhams Park, Millhams Road, Kinson, Bournemouth on 
Sunday the 24th. Doors open at 10.30 am and talk-in will be on 2 metres 
channel S22. For further details ring 01252 845900.

The Amateur Radio Caravan and Camping Club's next rally will be at 
Milton Keynes, over the Easter weekend of the 4th to 8th of April. There 
is no trading at ARCC rallies, but any amateur wishing to attend as a 
caravanner or tent camper is invited to send an SAE for details and a 
booking form. Booking forms must be returned at least one week before 
the event. Write to the membership secretary, Alan Gard, G4LWA, whose 
address is correct in the RSGB Call Book, or telephone 01462 811208.

Now for the HF contest news:

The Russian DX Contest is taking place this weekend, the 16th and 17th 
of March, and lasts for 24 hours from 1200 UTC Saturday. The contest is 
on all bands from 10 to 160 metres, excluding the three WARC bands, on 
CW and SSB. Brief rules are on page 21 of the March RadCom.

The Bermuda Contest is also taking place this weekend, from 0000 UTC on 
Saturday the 16th, for 48 hours. This contest is on 80, 40, 20, 15 and 
10 metres SSB and CW and brief rules are on page 22 of the March RadCom.

And the BARTG Spring RTTY contest is taking place from 0200 UTC on the 
16th of March until 0200 UTC on the 18th. Brief rules can be found on 
page 22 of the March RadCom.

Next some VHF contest news:

Next Sunday, the 24th of March, the RSGB 70 MHz Fixed Station Contest 
takes place from 0900 to 1300 UTC. The full rules were published in the 
RSGB Contesting Guide in the September 1995 RadCom.

And now the solar factual data compiled by Neil Clarke, G0CAS:

The period from the 4th to the 10th of March saw solar activity at very 
low levels and the geomagnetic field at quiet levels. The solar disc 
remained spotless until the 6th, when two sunspot groups appeared, one 
either side of the solar equator. On the 7th, both sunspot groups had 
decayed to become spotless plages. The mean for the period was 12. Solar 
flux levels varied between 68 and 70 units, with an average of 69. No 
solar flares were reported. Electron fluence levels were at a moderate 
level throughout. X-Ray flux levels remained at the minimum level of A1 
units each day. The 90-day solar flux average on the 10th was 72 units, 
one unit down on last week.

Geomagnetic activity remained at "quiet" levels and averaged Ap 7 units. 
On the 7th, levels were down to Ap 4 units, with the 8 three-hourly Kp 
indices all at K1. The aa indices, as supplied by the British Geological 
Survey for the period from the 27th of February to the 4th of March, saw 
activity at "unsettled" levels. However, on the 2nd levels were down to 
only 6 nanoTeslas, and the average for the period was 16.5 nanoTeslas, 
which is K2. Bartel's rotation number 2221 starts on Tuesday the 19th. 
The mean monthly sunspot number for February 1996 was 4.4, with a 
maximum of 17 on the 24th. The minimum of zero was from the 4th to the 
14th, the 16th to 18th, and on the 28th. The provisional smoothed 
sunspot number for August 1995 was 15.7, which is still some way from 
the predicted minimum of 8.

I'll repeat the figures. Spots: 12. Flux: 69. Ap index: 7. X-Ray flux: 
A1.

Now the ionospheric data for Central France:

The F2 daytime critical frequencies at Poitiers, as reported by Meudon 
for the 1st to the 7th of March, saw levels increase from 5.8MHz on the 
2nd, to 6.8MHz by the 7th, with an average of 6.4MHz. The darkness hour 
lows also increased from 2.3MHz on the 1st and 3rd, to 3MHz by the 6th 
and 7th. The average was 2.7MHz. The daytime highs took place between 
1200 and 1400 hours every day, except on the 4th, when they took place 
at 1800 hours. The darkness hour lows took place between 0300 and 0600 
hours. One short spell of blanketing E took place in the early hours of 
the 5th.

I'll repeat the figures: highs - 6.4MHz, lows - 2.7MHz.

And lastly the solar forecast:

This week the slightly more active side of the sun is expected to rotate 
into view but solar activity is expected to remain at very low levels. 
Solar flux levels may increase from the low 70s to just above the mid 
70s. Geomagnetic activity is expected to start the week at "quiet" 
levels, but then increase to "unsettled to active" conditions from 
mid-week. Ionospheric MUFs for the south during daylight hours are 
expected to be about 18MHz but could decline later in the week. The 
darkness hour lows are expected to be about 9MHz.

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 allocated were in the G0 Whisky 
Zulu and G7 Whisky Kilo series, and Novice calls in the 2 0 Alfa 
November and 2 1 Echo Victor series.

Next, the local news.


NEWS FOR THE SOUTH EAST


Meetings for Monday the 18th of March:

Braintree and District Amateur Radio Society has a 'Technical Clinic'. 
For further details telephone 01787 460947.

Sevenoaks and District Amateur Radio Society gathers for a talk by Ray 
Petri, G0OAT. Telephone 0181 304 3950 for details.


Meetings for Tuesday the 19th of March:

Chichester and District Amateur Radio Club gathers for a talk on 
multimeters by Graham, G7KTZ. For details telephone 01243 573541

Dacorum Amateur Radio Transmitting Society meets for a talk by Chris 
Taylor, G0WTZ, entitled 'Amateur Radio Retailing'. For details call 
01582 620507.

Maidenhead and District Amateur Radio Club has its Annual General 
Meeting. Contact Dave, G3SET on 01628 486554 for more details.

Reigate Amateur Transmitting Society also has its Annual General 
Meeting. Details from G6GSF on 01342 325322.

And Stevenage and District Amateur Radio Society also has its Annual 
General Meeting. Telephone 01707 333542 for further details.


Meetings for Wednesday the 20th of March:

Aylesbury Vale Radio Society has its Annual General Meeting. For further 
details contact Ivan, G3KLT on 01296 437720.

Chesham & District Amateur Radio Society has a 'Members Forum'. For 
further details contact Ian, G0RTF on 0494 676391.

Fareham and District Amateur Radio Club gathers for a talk entitled 
'Rushing to Russia' by Peter, G0VCP/MM. Details from Andrew on 01329 
235397.

Hastings Electronics and Radio Club has its Annual General Meeting. For 
further details contact Reg, G3YYF on 01424 721524.

Kingston and District Amateur Radio Society screens a selection of RSGB 
videos. For further details telephone 01372 740970.

Worthing and District Amateur Radio Club has an on-the-air evening. 
Contact Roy, G4GPX on 01903 753893 for details.


Meetings for Thursday the 21st of March:

Colchester Radio Amateurs gathers for a talk entitled 'The Magnetic Loop 
Antenna' by Bill, G4SOB. Details from Brian, G0GGM on 01206 822547. 

Cray Valley Radio Society has a construction contest. For further 
information contact Tony, G4WIF on 0171 739 5057 during office hours.

Sutton and Cheam Radio Society meets for two mini lectures - 
'Aeronautical Sat-Com' by Alun, G4WGE and 'First Amateur Radio 
Convention in China' by Roger, G3LQP. Contact John, G0BWV on 0181 644 
9945 for more details.


Meetings for Friday the 22nd of March:

Itchen Valley Amateur Radio Club has a surplus equipment sale. Contact 
Sheila, G0VNI on 01703 813827 for details. 

Medway Amateur Receiving and Transmitting Society has a construction 
competition. Details from Gloria, G3VUN on 01634 710023.

Mid Sussex Amateur Radio Society has a video evening featuring club 
activities. Telephone 01444 241407 for more information.



NEWS FOR THE SOUTH WEST


Meetings for Tuesday the 19th of March:

Salisbury Amateur Radio Club has a practical demonstration of SSTV and   
JV Fax. For details telephone 01722 329398.

Wincanton Amateur Radio Club screens a video on 'Classic Car Rallying'. 
Details from Dave, G3ZXX on 01963 34360.


Meeting for Wednesday the 20th of March:

South Bristol Amateur Radio Club has a video evening. Telephone 01275 
834282 for details.


Meetings for Thursday the 21st of March:

Bristol Amateur Radio Club has a QRP evening. Telephone 0117 9654886 for 
more information.

Yeovil Amateur Radio Club gathers for a talk entitled 'Cheap Simple 
Computing' by G3KSK. For details contact Cedric, G4JBL on 01258 473845.

Meeting for Friday the 22nd of March:

Torbay Amateur Radio Society meets for a talk on 'Dartmoor' by Mr 
Weymouth. Contact Peter, G4VTO on 01803 864528 for more details.



NEWS FOR EAST ANGLIA


Meetings for Wednesday the 20th of March:

Ipswich Radio Club has a construction contest. For further details 
contact Andy, G7SMN on 01473 212891.

Norfolk Amateur Radio Club gathers for an HF NFD briefing. Telephone 
01603 789792 for more details.


Meeting for Thursday the 21st of March:

Bury St Edmunds Amateur Radio Society gathers for a talk entitled 
'Professional Chassis and Case Building - a Factory Visit'. For details 
telephone 01284 787234.


Meeting for Friday the 22nd of March:

Spilsby Amateur Radio Society has a junk sale. For details contact 
Clive, G6HYF on 01790 752712.



NEWS FOR THE MIDLANDS


Meetings for Tuesday the 19th of March:

Kettering and District Amateur Radio Society meets for a talk and 
demonstration of Yaesu's current range by Barry Cooper of Yaesu (UK). 
For details contact 2 Kettonby Gardens, Headlands, Kettering, Northants. 

Wolverhampton Amateur Radio Society has an on-the-air evening. Telephone 
0902 324750 for more details.

Meeting for Thursday the 21st of March:

Solihull Amateur Radio Society has a quiz night. For further details 
telephone 0121 783 2996.



Meeting for Friday the 22nd of March:

Bromsgrove and District Amateur Radio Club has its Annual General 
Meeting. More details from Don, G3RLF on 01905 796718. 


NEWS FOR THE NORTH OF ENGLAND


Meeting for Monday the 18th of March:

Thornton Cleveleys Amateur Radio Society meets for a talk on 'Gliding' 
by Ian, G3ZRZ. Telephone 01253 853554 for details. 


Meetings for Tuesday the 19th of March:

Bury Radio Society has an on-the-air evening. For more details telephone 
0161 881 1850.

Halifax and District Amateur Radio Society gathers for a talk by George 
Dobbs, G3RJV. More details from David, G0DLM on 01422 202306.

Liverpool and District Amateur Radio Society meets for a demonstration 
of oscilloscopes. Telephone 0151 722 1178 for more details. 

Manchester and District Amateur Radio Society gathers for a talk on 
'VFOs, oscilloscopes, etc' by Jack, G3JIR. Call 0161 338 4412 for more 
details.

Wakefield & District Radio Society gathers for 'The Return of the 
Pathologist' postponed from last week. Details from G3WWF on 0113 282 
5519.


Meetings for Wednesday the 20th of March:

Hornsea Amateur Radio Club gathers for a talk entitled 'The First 25 
Years of G8EQZ'. For further details telephone 01964 533331. 

Mid Cheshire Amateur Radio Society has an on-the-air evening. Telephone 
01606 592207 for further information.


Meetings for Thursday the 21st of March:

Amateur Radio Club of Nottingham has a security marking session with 
G7SJD. Bring your equipment. For details telephone 0115 970 3225.

Keighley Amateur Radio Society has an on-the-air evening. Details from 
Kath, G0RLO on 01274 496222.


Meetings for Friday the 22nd of March:

Goole Radio and Electronics Society has an on-the-air evening. Further 
information from G6YYN on 01757 638539.

South Manchester Radio Club has a surplus equipment sale. Telephone 0161 
969 1964 for details.



NEWS FOR SCOTLAND


Meeting for Tuesday the 19th of March:

Dundee Amateur Radio Club meets for a talk by Dave Burke entitled 
'Communication from Antarctica'. For details contact Allan on 01382 
739179.



NEWS FOR WALES


Meeting for Monday the 18th of March:

Dragon Amateur Radio Club gathers for a talk entitled 'Maintenance of a 
Wireless Superhet' by Dafydd Francis Jones. Call 01248 660963 for 
details.


NEWS FOR NORTHERN IRELAND


Meeting for Wednesday the 20th of March:

Belfast and District RSGB Group meets for a talk entitled 'The Run Home' 
by Jeff Smith. For further details contact Richard, GI0OUM whose address 
is correct in the latest RSGB Call Book.


-- 
GB2RS is prepared by the Radio Society of Great Britain.
Tel +44 1707 659 015   
Fax +44 1707 645 105

