At the members forum earlier this year members expressed an interest in the club arranging a coach trip to Bletchey Park and the National Radio Centre near Milton Keynes - a wonderful place .

As you can imagine the cost of the trip will depend on how many people go, so in order for me to come up with a price I am asking all who are interested in going to email me so that I can get an idea of how many people will go, so if this trip interests you please email me (without obligation) as soon as possible. It will be open to everyone, members or non members including families and friends, and members of the RSGB are able to get into Bletchley Park for free with a downloadable voucher, so our cost will be travel only and travel with entrance fee.  Pickup points with free parking will be offered at Blofield on the East of Norwich and DCP near Attleborough.

Please drop me a quick email if you are interested with a note of how many people you would like to come with.

Thank you, David G7URP     This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

Deadline for expressions of interest is 14th November 2024.   (**just 1 response as of November 3rd**

Please send your 'What on earth...' entry together with any news, pictures and views you can share for NARC Live! to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Welcome to week one hundred and sixty three of NARC’s contest news. This week coming to you from sunny Weston-Super-Mare.

Results:-

On VHF

The results of the 50MHz UKAC of 10th October were published on 26th October. NARC managed 6 entries in this one and came 5th. We are still running 4th overall. Link to results here 

The results of the 70MHz UKAC of 17th October came out on 28th October. Conditions were good for this one. Our team of 6 also performed well securing what I think is our first win in our General Clubs section in a UKAC! Overall we remain in fourth place however. Link to results here 

The results of the 50MHz AFS of 20th October were released on 29th October. Our 4 man team managed 6th place out of 18 entries in the Local clubs section after we managed some reasonably good DX. Link to results here  After 2 events so far in the AFS super league we are in 7th place.

NARC is running 10th at the moment in this year's VHF champion ships out of 84 clubs. Link here 

In the overall UKAC we are still running 4th out of 56 in the General clubs section but our hold on 4th is being gradually eroded by Gower/Gwyr CC. Link to this here 

On HF

The results of the 80m Autumn series SSB contest of 24th October were released on 31st October. (We are still awaiting the DATA results from 16th October). I'm pleased to report that NARC won this one by a convincing margin over second placed Newbury (7,470 points to 5,372). This now means we lead by 38,415 points to Bristol's 26,114. Well done to all our participants. Leading NARC scorer this time was Andy, M0NKR. Link to results here 

If people are entering other contests of whose results I am obviously unaware please e-mail me to let me know the outcome and I'll mention it here.

Contests:-

On VHF

No new VHF contests to report this week.

On HF

CQ WW SSB ran on the weekend of 26th and 27th October. I know NARC were to be represented by G4ANT and indeed heard them from my holiday location briefly on web SDR doing a good trade! I see their log submitted in the list of entries but no dedtails are forthcoming. I am also unsure if other NARC stations have entered. If anyone has, perhaps they would let me know and I can mention it here. Link to logs received here 

Please let me know if you were on in any other VHF or HF contests and I'll put a summary in next week's news.

Upcoming contests in the next 2 weeks (all times in UTC):-

On VHF / UHF / SHF

Before each of the 2m and 70cm UKACs there is an FM leg starting 1 hour before for 55 minutes. I hear almost no activity in this from here but others may have more luck! Rules etc on RSGBCC site.

* Sat 2nd Nov. 1400 for 24h 144MHz CW Marconi - part of the VHF CW Championship - Rules here 
* Tue 5th Nov. 2000-2230 144MHz UKAC
* Wed 6th Nov. 144MHz FT8 AC 2 and 4h sections
* Tue 12th Nov. 2000-2230 432MHz UKAC
* Wed 13th Nov. 1700-2100 432MHz FT8 AC 2 and 4h sections
* Thu 14th Nov. 2000-2230 50MHz UKAC

Also of interest for some on the vhf / uhf bands are the EU FT8 activity tests - see the following link for more information. These are on the first (144 MHz), second (432MHz) and third (1.3GHz) Wednesdays of each month. 1700-2000 Hrs EU FT8 series website 

On HF

* Sat 2nd Nov. 0600-1800 IPARC CW contest - Link here to rules 
* Sun 3rd Nov. 0600-1800 IPARC SSB contest - Rules as above
* Mon 4th Nov. 2000-2130 80m Autumn series DATA
* Sat 9th Nov. 2000-2300 Club Calls 1.8MHz AFS super league and HF Championship
* Sat 9th Nov. 0000 for 47h 59m WAE DX RTTY contest - For rules see here 
* Sat 9th Nov. 0000 to Sun 11th Nov. 2359 PODXS 070 Club Triple Play Low Band Sprint- PSK31 - Rules here 
* Sat 9th Nov. 0001 to Sun 10th Nov. 2359 10-10 Int. Fall Contest, Digital - Rules here 
* Sat 9th Nov. 0700 to Sun 10th Nov. 1300 JIDX Phone Contest (Japan) - Rules here 
* Sat 9th Nov. 1200 for 36h SKCC Weekend Sprint CW - Rules here 
* Sat 9th Nov. 1200 for 24h OK/OM DX Contest CW - Rules here 
* Sat 9th Nov. 1900-2300 and 0100-0500, Nov 10 (Phone) and 1900-2300, Nov 10 (Phone) and 0100-0500, Nov 11 (CW/Digital) CQ WE Contest - Rules here 
* Wed 13th Nov. 2000-2130 80m Autumn series SSB

See Link to WA7BNM for other contests not mentioned above.

Wednesdays throughout the year, CW ops 1 hour mini tests 13:00, 19:00, Thurs 03:00 and 07:00, exchange Name and G if not a member or CWOPS number if you are a member.
See CWOPS website for more details.
Also on Fridays 2000 to 2100 and Mondays 0000 to 0100 each week CWops runs the K1USN slow speed CW contests. Any speed up to 20wpm is acceptable. For rules see :- CW OPs SST page these contests are open to anyone.

All RSGB contest rules and further details plus log submission at RSGB contest site
Look to WA7BNM’s contest calendar for other contests and links to rules etc at WA7BNM weekly contest calendar
A link to John 2E0TWQ’s site’s Narc contest history page - 2E0TWQ's NARC contest results page 

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Contesting can be great fun but I know there's a reluctance to step into unknown waters. It's a great way of improving many aspects of our hobby including one's own performance and the quality of your station. If you have any interest whatsover please call in to the contest net on Friday evening at 9pm on 145.250MHz FM or speak to any of the regular contesters on 450. Or indeed email me!
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Submissions or comments for this news to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

73 until next week,

Phil G4LPP

GB2CW Morse Corner 01.11.24
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Morse Classes.
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Classes are progressxing well at present and it is still not too late to join if you wish. Where are those that promised to learn CW this winter? I guess they cannot devote the time to it. People do it because it is hard, not because it is easy!

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It was sad to hear of the death of Dave G0ELJ. He used to join several of the local classes and was very keen. He also had a collection of Morse keys which he had collected since his youth.
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One local student Stephen M6KYF emailed me this week to say that he had modified his paddle to take into account the differenct there should be between the finger and thumb pieces. He says it has made the feel of the key much better and more natural. So, I am using the picture of his paddle as Key of the Week.
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As you see, the modification is quite simple in fact. The mod would apply to single and double lever paddles alike. I hope to modify mine when time allows, using the finger and thumb pieces from Vibroplex. The Ukrainian paddle works very well, but I think the action will be much improved by the addition of proper finger and thumb pieces.
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I shall repeat my request from last week. If you are a "secret listener" to the Morse classes, please JOIN instead. After all you don't learn to play the piano by just listening.
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The NARC CW Monday Night Net.

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This now takes place on 3543 at 8 p.m. on Monday evenings. We have a Net controller each week and the idea is to encourage you to conversational Morse. If you can read and send at 23wpm, do come and join us. 23wpm is the speed at present and we may be increasing that as time goes by. The overs are short but protocol is adherred to and just a few comments from each attendee is all that is needed. Give it a try!
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THERE WILL BE NO NARC NET THIS COMING MONDAY, NOV 4TH AS IT IS THE DATA SESSION OF THE RSGB AUTUMN SERIES OF 80M CONTESTS. COME ON AND JOIN US THERE INSTEAD
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Still nobody joins us on Monday evenings. There is no need to be shy. Learning conversational Morse is a skill in itself. Anybody can work a DX pile-up by using macros or sending their call and 599 TU. Try holding a conversation for about an hour and see how you get on. If you aspire to CWOPS or even FOC it's the only way you will get in to those clubs, by showing and proving your proficiency with a paddle. Not only that, but it really is very satisfying to be able to hold a conversation for that long at around 25wpm with minimal mistakes. PLUS of course you can then monitor the CW end of the bands and hear just conversations and not just dits and dahs.
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Jeffrey G0VJH is one of the secret listeners apparently. Glad you do listen Jeffrey, but you would be more than welcome if you called into the Net and joined in. You really should join NARC Jeffrey. It's only £10 per year and good value for money. Lots of activities, both online and at the Club. You would also then receive the Newsletter. If you can headcopy at 22wpm, you are ideal for the Net. The next NARC Net will be Monday week 11th November.
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CW OPS
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Well, the 3 a.m. session is now 3 a.m. and Mike and I were there together with Peter M0RYB although I did not work him. It was a struggle however. Propagaion at that time of morning is not good. 40m is the only viable band and even so it took 30 mins to make 14 Qs. It will stay Zulu until March of course, but you soon get used to it. How I would feel if my shack was in a shed in the garden I am not so sure!

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That's it, open the cage, play the music.
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If you have any input, please email me.

73 de Roger, G3LDI GB2CW Coordinator. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. May the Morse be with you.

Author Roger Cooke

HF News

Last weekend’s CQWW SSB contest showed just how good autumnal HF conditions can be. Many contesters worked more than 100 countries or DX entities on each and every HF band.

With a solar flux index of 238 on Saturday and 246 on Sunday, plus low Kp indices all weekend, it was about as good as it could get. There were two three-hour periods where the Kp index hit four and 4.33, but it was otherwise in the ones and twos.

An X-class solar flare occurred on Saturday the 26th at around 07:15hrs UTC, but this had little effect and the MUF over a 3,000km path was back above 28MHz quite quickly.

The rest of the week saw numerous M- and C-class solar flares occur and a Kp index that did get up to four at times, but once again, the MUF remained above 28MHz during daylight for most of the time.

Interestingly, there have been times when the critical frequency over the UK has hit 14MHz, making 20m almost a local chat band via Near Vertical Incidence Sky Wave or NVIS communications! These openings may be short-lived so make the most of them should they occur.

Nighttime critical frequencies have generally been around 4.5-6MHz, meaning a MUF over a 3,000km path in excess of 14MHz in the first half of the night and around 10-12MHz in the second half.

The solar proton flux has been above the 10MeV warning threshold but is now falling as of Thursday 31st. This may improve signals that pass through the polar regions, such as the UK to the far west of Canada and Alaska, and the UK to Japan.

Next week NOAA predicts that the SFI will start at around 240, but perhaps fall to around 195-200 as the week progresses. ESA predicts that the solar wind speed could increase around November 4th and could cause disruption.

As always, we are at the mercy of solar flares and CMEs, which could disrupt HF propagation, so we recommend keeping an eye on solarham.com for daily updates.

VHF and up

The Autumn Equinox period continued to bring F2-layer propagation to 50MHz with almost daily morning openings to VK and JA and afternoon openings to the Americas for some.

Stations in the far South and West of the island were favoured. Side scatter in the Indian Ocean brought the JAs on a 90-degree beam heading, an effect noted at previous sunspot maxima.

The autumn is typically a time for quiet settled weather, a season of mist, and this is where we are going for the period through to the end of next week. It's worth a couple of reminders of how it all works since, although it's likely to be pretty much the same ‘big picture’ of dominant high pressure, there will be subtle differences.

Firstly, there are two types of high pressure; one that builds in warm air and the other in cold air. The warm air version is the current offering, and this means quite cloudy conditions at times with moist air below the temperature inversion and very dry air above the inversion.

Second, the quality of the ducting is determined by the change of the refractive index across the inversion and a large part of the refractive index change comes from a contrast of moisture, so signs of cloud and/or fog moisture, are good omens for a lift. It is possible that we may swap over to a cold air high later next week, which could lessen the Tropo quality.

Meteor scatter prospects are on hold pending the Leonids meteor shower, which peaks mid-November. A dominant high pressure means that rain scatter is not likely to be a big player for the GHz bands next week.

There is a possible heads-up for aurora since the solar conditions still offer chances for the Kp index to rise – anything over Kp=4 is worth a longer look – and don’t forget that ‘watery’ signals on the lower HF bands such as 40m and 80m are also a good sign.

For EME operators, Moon declination reaches a minimum (that is, maximum negative declination) next Tuesday when the Moon only reaches nine degrees peak elevation and is only above the horizon for six hours between 1200 and 1800hrs. Path losses, on the other hand, are falling all week.

144MHz sky noise is moderate to high, peaking at more than 3,000 Kelvin on Tuesday the 5th before dropping back to moderate levels.

I am pleased to publish details and the booking form for our annual Christmas dinner at The Village Inn in Little Melton on Wednesday 18th December; Arrival is from 1845 and Dinner will be served from 19.30.

Dinner comprises a three course meal with varied menu selections to suit all tastes and dietary requirements will cost members and their family or friends just £15 per head, being subsidised by NARC. The only thing you will need to buy on the night is drinks!

All details are on the booking form which I have attached to the weekends newsletter and printed versions are also available at CNS meetings. With well over a month to book I ask everyone to please help me arrange this event by making sure they book asap and by the deadline of 27th November at the latest - you can pay by cash at CNS, BACs or Paypal friends and family. If you prefer me to email a booking form to you please drop me an email.  

In addition to the dinner we will be holding a secret santa raffle to raise funds for our member nominated charity of the year, Prostate Cancer UK. If you can we ask everyone attending to bring a small wrapped gift which will be raffled after the dinner.  

**ONLY 12 People booked so far!  Please book as soon as you can** 

David G7URP

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.