Issue No. 32 - 1st November 2009

With a total lack of Special Event stations this past month and few new or rare members appearing on Nets it has been a quiet month on air but cards from earlier contacts have continued to arrive, despite problems with Royal Mail. As I sit at the keyboard it has been announced that the last three days of the month will be strike-bound so cards that I had planned to post to a few members will now wait until the system is working again. Statistics below reflect this, however numbers being sent would have been low owing to the Bureau clearance last month.

I am pleased to report that band conditions have improved somewhat these past few days. A pleasure, but strange experience, to be a part of the Net run by Sam G4OHX on 27th October where there were twenty six (yes 26) Members on the Net and nearly all at 59 in Chilwell. Other 40m Nets have experienced similar success, so please at least switch on the rig and listen. Since the clocks went back the 80m Net, run during Tuesday afternoon this week, (who knows what next Tuesday will be like?) was well attended and excluding one Member with transceiver problems all were also 59 into Chilwell; I live in hope for next week. I, and no doubt many more, enjoyed excellent conditions during the CQWW Contest over the weekend 24/25 October. All bands were open and the majority of my contacts were on 15m and included Thailand, Sudan, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Cyprus: and on 20m many NA stations. To the south I have in the log Brazil and Venezuela and although I heard two stations in South Africa my 100W into CobWebb was not heard from under the many 2kW amplifiers. I am normally quite good at getting the timing right, working Martinique Sunday 26th who was battling against a huge pile-up
Sam G4OHX reported working three JA stations so conditions are in my view, picking up.

Don't forget if interested in propagation to make sure that you have signed up to the RSARS email list server (the Reflector) as Barry G3YEU continues to provide us with most interesting propagation data. Whilst mentioning the Reflector Sam G4OHX will be flying to Madagascar (hoping for 5R8HX) late December then to St Lucia (South Africa) where he will be operating as ZS5/G4OHX. I will be the link man and his activities will be reported by me to Members using the Reflector. Jim G6PAA will be operating from VK and ZL (full dates and call signs on the website so I won't repeat them here) from early December 2009 to March 2010. Sam G4OHX will be point of RSARS contact with Jim until he departs for Africa when I will take over for his period of absence. Nick G3RWF will be escaping to the sun again as 5X1NH for two months from January 2010 and Sam will be receiving operating information from Nick so make sure that you are signed up to the Reflector. Full instructions are on our website at EMAIL LIST SERVER HANDBOOK but any problem in signing please shout.

I am always on the look-out for interesting cards with a story, so please if you have a few interesting ones which you think Members would enjoy send scans (to avoid cards getting lost) to me with their history and it will be my pleasure to include them in the Newsletter. In the absence of any "different" ones being received this month and personalised call signs often discussed on Nets a few thoughts, with tongue in cheek, are displayed in this month's Gallery. G3CIO F043 cards are produced by Mike GØSWY, as he does for many Members, including G4CCF and GØRCS to a standard format. Had this not been the case Members would have been receiving the G3CIO card included in the gallery showing when the station was at Catterick, if you have worked me with G3CIO and want one please shout

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With conditions improving I would hope that Bureau activity will improve, and I hope that Sam, Jim and Nick will be kept busy during their overseas travels. For the moment however the situation for the months of October from 2005 stands at:

Statistics

A second reminder to Members about the Hogmanay Pop-In-Pop-Out Net which will be running from 1200hrs 31st December 2009. There were one or two exchanges last year with Members who had not met before, but not many owing to it really being purely an in-and-out Net. A few managed to work all Net Controllers on 80m, the main band in use, some also saying hello to Brendan 2EØBDS for the first time on Top Band. Further information will be included with my Newsletter of 1st December of course. So get it written into your diaries now, with improving conditions we want more this year Who knows, we may even have some exchanges on 40m this year and on 20m with our Overseas Members - we will try our best as always to be sure,
If, as in the past when Sam G4OHX is away, I am opening the Hogmanay PIPO Net I will do this on 40m (7.170MHz+/-) if current conditions continue (and I hope they do), then move to 80m (3.742MHz+/-)as soon as this is necessary.

As always - good hunting, especially with our members overseas.