NEWS UPDATE

COUNTRIES WITH NO QSL BUREAU

Tony Baldwin EI8JK, the QSL Outwards Manager, reports
that every week he gets several cards for countries
that do not have a QSL Bureau. There are a total of 63
DXCC entities without a Bureau, and Tony has now
arranged for these to be listed on the IRTS web site.

Click on the "QSL Service" link that is on the
left-hand side of the IRTS web site www.irts.ie to see
which countries have no bureau. Tony reminds us that
there is no point in sending cards for those countries
to him: cards for these countries must be sent direct.

SSB FIELD DAY

The SSB Field Day will take place on the weekend of the
6th and 7th of September 2008. More information is
available on the IRTS web site at www.irts.ie.



RADIO RECORDS: SOUTH AFRICA TO REUNION ISLAND ON 2 METERS

A new radio record is set in the southern hemisphere. ZS2GK and FR5DN have made the first ever 2 meter VHF contact between Reunion Island and South Africa via the South Indian Ocean path. Take a listen:

Actual contact audio. Hear it in the MP3 version of this newscast downloadable at www.arnewsline.org

At 02:15 South Africa time on August 12th, Glenn Kraut, ZS2GK, heard the FR5DN beacon from Reunion Island. At 03:39 he established a two-way contact with Mondon "Phil" Phillipe, FR5DN on 144.200 MHz SSB. The two also made contact on 144.400 MHz using FM. The signal strength was S5 to S6 with no QSB over the VHF path of 2875 km.

ZS2GK used was 400W on SSB and 200W on FM. At the FR5DN end Phil was running 120 watts on either mode. The two operators also discussed the possibility of trying the contact in the near future on the 70 centimeter band:

According to the South Africa Radio League this is a new record on 144 MHz. Ironically, it took place on the morning of the maximum of the Perseids meteor shower. More information and the full audio files of the contact available (AS1I, audio from www.astrorun.com fr5dn/radio /)

The 2008 ARRL Handbook defines tropospheric propagation as "radio waves that are refracted by natural gradients in the index of refraction of air with altitude, due to
changes in temperature, humidity and pressure. Refraction under standard
atmospheric conditions extends the radio horizon somewhat beyond the
visual line of sight. Favorable weather conditions further enhance
normal tropospheric refraction, lengthening the useful VHF and UHF range
by several hundred kilometers and increasing signal strength. Higher
frequencies are more sensitive to refraction, so its effects may be
observed in the microwave bands before they are apparent at lower
frequencies."

"Ducting takes place when refraction is so great that radio waves are
bent back to the surface of the Earth. When tropospheric ducting
conditions exist over a wide geographic area, signals may remain very
strong over distances of 1500 km (930 miles) or more. Ducting results
from the gradient created by a sharp increase in temperature with
altitude, quite the opposite of normal atmospheric conditions. A
simultaneous drop in humidity contributes to increased refractivity.
Useful temperature inversions form between 250 and 2000 meters (800-6500
feet) above ground. The elevated inversion and the Earth's surface act
something like the boundaries of a natural open-ended waveguide. Radio
waves of the right frequency range caught inside the duct will be
propagated for long distances with relatively low losses. Several common
weather conditions can create temperature inversions."

According to VHF guru and conductor of QST's "World Above 50 MHz" column
Gene Zimmerman, W3ZZ, VHF amateurs have long been aware of long distance
tropospheric ducting across stable ocean waters. "The best known such
duct is the Hawaiian duct which links the West Coast of the US,
especially California with the Big Island of Hawaii. But we have also
known that other such ducts exist in different places around the world,
although the ham populations in these areas are often so low that we
hardly ever experience two way communications. The Indian Ocean is one
such place. This outstanding contact between Phil Mondon, FR5DN, on
Reunion Island and Glen Kraut, ZS2GK, in South Africa confirms the
existence of a path between the mainland and islands in the Indian
Ocean. It follows the detection of FM broadcast stations on similar
paths in the South Atlantic Ocean between the island of St Helena and
Angola, Namibia and Cape Town on the mainland, and reports of reception
of Brazilian FM stations on Ascension Island in the South Atlantic."

"Now that the path is proven, many South African hams
are gearing up to increase the distance over the coming southern
summer."

RADIO IN POLITICS: GEORGIAN NATIONAL HAM RADIO SOCIETY SAYS GEORGIA HAMS NOT CONTACTING RUSSIA

Amateur Radio contacts between Georgia and Russia have ceased. At least that’s what the Georgian national ham radio society is claiming as a protest to the military action and occupation of Georgia by Russian troops.

According to information provided by the Southgate News, the President of the National Associations Radioamateurs of Georgia has said that contacts between Georgian and Russian Amateur Radio stations have ceased. Mamuka Kordzakhia, 4L2M, also asks that all amateur radio societies, who are either members and non-members of the International Amateur Radio Union do the same.

It should be noted that this is a plea coming from a leader of a national ham radio society and not the result of any mandate given by Georgian telecommunications authorities. Neither the governments of Georgia nor Russia have placed any restrictions on hams in either nation during the current conflict.

Its unlikely that the International Amateur Radio Union or its member nations will take any stand on this issue. Historically the IARU has kept its distance from the internal politics of any nation, be it an IARU member or not. (NARG, with follow-up by ARNewsline™)


HAM RADIO EVENTS: OLYMPICS COMMEMORATIVE STATION CONTINUES.

Members of the Hong Kong Amateur Radio DX Association continue to be active as V-R-2008-O, This, to celebrate the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Operations will continue until August 31 st on 40 through 6 meters using SSB, RTTY and PSK31. QSL direct only to VR2XMT Charlie Ho, PO Box 900, Fanling Post Office, Hong Kong.

Sorry guys but there is no electronic e-QSL or Logbook to the World filings accepted for this rather special commemorative event. (Hong Kong DXA)