Southgate Amateur Radio Club News

G4KUX extends 432 MHz tropo record to 4,644kms
On Saturday the 28th of December 2019, Ian GM3SEK in the south-west of Scotland managed to work D41CV on 432 MHz to set a new world record for tropo on the band.
The distance for this FT8 contact was an amazing 4,562 kms. Considering the fact that it was on the 70cms band and that the south-west coast of Scotland was one of the longest sea paths to Cape Verde Islands, it seemed as this might be a long term record…

Ofcom don’t know if interference eliminated
A Freedom of Information request asked Ofcom how many cases of interference to radio amateurs had been investigated by Ofcom and successfully concluded with elimination of the interference – Ofcom admitted they did not know

QSO Today Amateur Radio Podcast Ward Silver – N0AX
Ward Silver, N0AX, author of the QST magazine column, “Hands-On Radio”, editor of ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications, and author of many books on ham radio, was my guest in Episode 29 from February, 2015

ZS6JON achieves 2m DXCC
John Sygo, ZS6JON has finally completed the long overdue paperwork to receive his 2 metre DXCC through a mix of paper QSL cards and LotW confirmations on Tuesday 31 December 2019

Amateur Radio ‘Winter Field Day’ to demonstrate science, skill, and communication services
Members of the Roanoke Valley Amateur Radio Club will be participating in the National Amateur Radio Winter Field Day Exercise, January 25 and 26, 2020. The Field Day site will be at Virginia Western Community College in the upper parking lot

US tests ways to sweep space clean of radiation after nuclear attack
The U.S. military thought it had cleared the decks when, on 9 July 1962, it heaved a 1.4-megaton nuclear bomb some 400 kilometers into space: Orbiting satellites were safely out of range of the blast

Arctic Blast Hamfest
The Pioneer Journal report the Wadena Area Amateur Radio Club (WAARC) is preparing for the 2020 Arctic Blast Hamfest, Saturday, Jan. 11 at the Bertha Community Center

Foundations of Amateur Radio
Where do you start?
So, you’ve got yourself a license, or it’s coming but you’re waiting for the regulator to get the administration done and for your payment to go through.
The excitement is building, you’re itching to get started and you’ve told your family and friends what your new callsign is

Bushfire Emergency Communications Advice
Bushfires continue to rage widely across large areas of Australia with both the loss of life and property. The WIA has been advised that there are major outages of telecommunications in areas impacted by the bushfires either currently or expected to occur in the near term. This disruption advice, at the time this news item was composed, currently applies to areas of NSW and VIC ” but this may change  

Ofcom release database of Amateur Radio Call Signs
Following a Freedom of Information request by Roger Howell, Ofcom made their database of amateur radio call signs available for download

San Joaquin Valley Section Manager Dan Pruitt, AE6SX (SK)
ARRL San Joaquin Valley Section Manager Dan Pruitt, AE6SX, of Fresno, California, died on December 27. He was 68. At the time of his death, Pruitt had been hospitalized as a result of a fall

Ofcom release Forbidden Suffixes database
Ofcom have released a database show those amateur radio suffixes that it now treats as being Forbidden and not for use when issuing call signs

This weekend: Meteors from a shattered comet
For a few hours on Saturday morning, Jan. 4th, northern skies could fill with meteors

BARTG GB60ATG special event
Members of the British Amateur Radio Teledata Group (BARTG) are active as GB 60 ATG until June 2020

Propagation de K7RA
Sunspots appeared recently, all indicating Solar Cycle 25 due to their polarity, opposite from spots in Solar Cycle 24. Sunspots appeared December 24-26, and it looks like a new Solar Cycle 25 spot on January 1

Australian bush fires
Hello, I’m Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and I’ve been thinking.
Welcome to the new year. Today we must remember that many people including fellow radio amateurs are dealing with the forces of nature. There are many of our fellows who have lost livelihoods, homes and mementoes. Towns have been changed forever and sadly lives have been lost

RAC appoints new Community Services Officer and Treasurer
Radio Amateurs of Canada is pleased to announce the appointment of Jason Tremblay, VE3JXT, as its new Community Services Officer (CSO) and Margaret Tidman, VA3VXN, as its new Treasurer. Both positions are effective January 1, 2020

2020 Wyong Field Day
While many have been preparing for and then getting over Christmas feasts, or those less lucky, protecting their and others home from bush fires some of the CCARC club members have been working hard to make sure the 2020 Wyong Field Day is going to be one to remember for all the best reasons

Quadrantids – 3rd and 4th January
The meteor shower occurs every year in late December and early January as the Earth passes through the dusty trail of Asteroid 2003 EH1. It marks the first meteor shower of 2020 and a new decade

Dave Edmunds VK4FUY SK
News has been received that Dave Edmunds VK4FUY went Silent Key in Cooktown Hospital Wednesday morning 1st January

DX News from the ARRL
The American Radio Relay League’s round-up of the forthcoming week’s DX activity on the amateur radio bands