Category - Blog

A major solar flare reaching X1.7 peaked at 02:15 UTC this morning. The flare was centered around an active region off the east.

SUMMARY: 10cm Radio Burst
Begin Time: 2013 May 13 0208 UTC
Maximum Time: 2013 May 13 0219 UTC
End Time: 2013 May 13 0222 UTC
Duration: 14 minutes
Peak Flux: 320 sfu
Latest Penticton Noon Flux: 147 sfu
Description: A 10cm radio burst indicates that the electromagnetic burst associated with a solar flare at the 10cm wavelength was double or greater than the initial 10cm radio background. This can be indicative of significant radio noise in association with a solar flare. This noise is generally short-lived but can cause interference for sensitive receivers including radar, GPS, and satellite communications.

…”the strongest solar flare of the year so far”

DX8DX Qsl Cards arrived from the Printer this morning.

I am currently processing 351 requests for Bongao Island (Tawi-Tawi Group) IOTA OC-174 and a further 452 requests for Taganak Island (Turtle island group) IOTA OC-225. 

Qsl Cards will be mailed this week.

Qsl via MØOXO OQRS

Roger G3SXW and Nigel G3TXF will be operating the FOC Club Callsign GH4FOC from Jersey (GJ) for three days from Friday 10 May to Sunday 12 May 2013.

This GH4FOC operation is part of the month-long 75th anniversary celebration activity being organised by the FOC First Class CW Operators’ Club.

During the weekend there may also be some operation as GJ3SXW and GJ3TXF. QSL routes for these two calls are G3SXW and G3TXF respectively.

All logs will be up-loaded to both Club Log and LoTW. (Thanks Nigel G3TXF)

QSL via G3SWH

To commemorate our 75^th anniversary in May FOC is holding a month-long on-air event featuring more than 50 special FOC-suffix calls.  These will include GB75FOC, a special anniversary call for our club station.  (GC4FOC will be used when operating from Wales, GH4FOC from Jersey,  GN4FOC from Northern Ireland, GP4FOC from Guernsey, GS4FOC from Scotland, and GT4FOC from Isle of Man).A list of who is on the key of each special UK call each day can be found here. There will be many other FOC calls on the air all month from outside the UK, including some exotic locations such as 4X, 5B, 5T, 7Q, A6, HZ, KH6, V3 and VQ9.

Stations will gain points for contacting any FOC member and a beautiful certificate will be presented to stations who reach certain point levels.  

15 points = Bronze, 30 points = Silver, 50 points = Gold.

QSO with an FOC member = 1 point

QSO with an FOC member lasting 10 minutes or longer = 3 points

QSO with an FOC suffix station (or M0RSE) = 5 points

QSO with GB75FOC, GC4FOC, GH4FOC, GN4FOC, GP4FOC, GS4FOC or GT4FOC = 10 points

One QSO is allowed per station per band. All bands are allowed but QSOs must be CW, of course.

Listen for FOC members calling “CQ FOC 75.”  A list of current members can be found on this web site in the “About FOC” section.

Electronic logs for the FOC 75^th Anniversary Award should be submitted to: [email protected]. (Members need only send claimed point totals).

QSLs for GB75FOC, GC4FOC, GH4FOC, GN4FOC, GP4FOC, GS4FOC, GT4FOC and M0RSE should be sent to G3SWH: www.g3swh.org.uk.  Check www.qrz.com pages for QSL information about other “FOC” calls.

Tnx info FOC website http://www.g4foc.org/

Worldwide — First Class CW Operators Club Special Event stations on air throughout May featuring an FOC suffix call including G75FOC from the UK.

A QSO party will also be held throughout the month. Stations will gain points for contacting any FOC members and a certificate will be awarded to stations that reach certain point levels.

Stations are urged to listen for FOC members calling “CQ FOC 75.” Electronic logs should be submitted to <[email protected]>.

QSLs for working G75FOC should be submitted to G3SWH, <http://www.g3swh.org.uk>.

Another batch of cards arrived 25th April and processed for the RSGB Buro yesterday. Sadly contents from all 5 packages appeared to be missing so undoubtedly a good amount of cards lost and not arriving here***;

Cards issued;

GB0ANT 76, GBØHI 34, GB1HI 73, GB2HI 66, GBØWSD 23, GB6ØHRH 27, GB2WHL 28, GB75UW 17, 

There were also cards for many other GB stations but in the main these were typically less than 10 in number. If you require a card please use M0OXO OQRS and remember, please DO NOT request the card more than once, save the planet 😉

DX8DX – Update;

Qsl Cards designed and at print shop. I expect delivery within next 14 days and hope to dispatch within 1 month of the operation having finished (before end of May I hope!). Currently processed ;DX8DX OC-174 – 287 Qsl requests, DX8DX OC-225 – 366 Qsl requests.

‘G*1ØØC’ event;

Re, G1ØØC. GD1ØØC, GJ1ØØC, GM1ØØC & GW1ØØC, cards are being prepared for this year-long RSGB Centenery event. Cards in the process of design by G100C team. I should have them with printer very shortly. Sri delay on these, I have no control over these cards.

***Lost cards. The only cards that will have been lost will be ‘GB – Special Event cards’, nothing else at all.

Any questions about any callsign I am manager for please just drop me an email, keep an eye on this blog for updates.

Oh boy, K index at 5 this morning.

Just a few days of good conditions would be a real bonus!

Space Weather Message Code: ALTK05
Serial Number: 713
Issue Time: 2013 Apr 26 0601 UTC

ALERT: Geomagnetic K-index of 5
Threshold Reached: 2013 Apr 26 0559 UTC
Synoptic Period: 0300-0600 UTC
Active Warning: Yes
NOAA Scale: G1 – Minor

Potential Impacts: Area of impact primarily poleward of 60 degrees Geomagnetic Latitude. Induced Currents – Weak power grid fluctuations can occur. Spacecraft – Minor impact on satellite operations possible.

Later this year, Comet ISON is expected to become a naked-eye object when it skims through the atmosphere of the sun.  The Hubble Space Telescope has just obtained a sneak preview.

Hubble photographed ISON on the 10th April. At the time, the comet was 386 million miles from the sun (394 million miles from Earth), just inside the orbit of Jupiter. Even at that great distance the comet is already active as sunlight warms the surface and causes frozen gases to vaporize. A detailed analysis of the image reveals a strong jet blasting dust particles off the sunward-facing side of the comet’s nucleus.

Preliminary measurements  suggest that the ISON’s nucleus is no larger than three or four miles (~5 to 6 km) across and the comet’s dusty atmosphere, or “coma”, is approximately 3,100 miles across, or 1.2 times the width of Australia. A dust tail extends more than 57,000 miles, far beyond Hubble’s field of view.

Harald DF2WO will be qrv from the Cape Verde Islands soon.

D44TWO will be on air from IOTA AF-005 (Leeward islands Group) between the 03rd and 20th June (approx) 2013.

QSL via MØOXO OQRS