The International Amateur Radio Club, 4U1ITU, will be operating with the special callsign 4U1WRC between January 23rd and February 17th.

Activity will take place during the ITU World Radio Conference 2012 (WRC-12) from Geneva, Switzerland.

Operations will be from 160-6 meters, eventually higher, all modes.

All QSOs will be confirmed with a special QSL available via 4U1ITU.

Short updates of the operation will be posted on twitter at:
http://twitter.com/4u1itu

More detailed information is availabe on the Web site at:
http://life.itu.int/radioclub

Work only the contiguous 48 States plus Canada, giving a signal report and CQ Zone. The UK is Zone 14.

USA stations will send a signal report and their 2-letter State code, while Canadian stations will send a signal report and their 3-letter Province code.

Accurate log keeping is a must in this event, because there are penalties for bad or busted QSOs.

Using all modes the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

SOS Radio Week is taking place from 21 – 29 January and is open to all Amateur Radio enthusiasts who will be talking to like-minded people from around the world.

The event has been running since 2007 and has grown every year and in 2010 raised £3600.

Activity will be taking place from about 40 RNLI lifeboat stations, and people will be calling in to pledge money for the charity.

The South Tyneside Amateur Radio Society will be active from Sunderland RNLI Lifeguard Base, Marine Walk, Roker on Saturday 21 with a call sign GB1SLB on all High Frequency (HF) Bands.

South Tyneside Amateur Radio Society member, Gerry Thompson, who has previously volunteered for the RNLI and HM Coastguard, said: ‘As an ex volunteer with the RNLI; I was only too happy to support this national event. We can speak with anyone around the world depending on atmospheric conditions and the frequency used. This is the fourth time we’ve broadcast from Sunderland RNLI and we’re really looking forward to it and raising some money to help the volunteer lifeboat crews.’

Paul Nicholson, Senior Helmsman at Sunderland RNLI said ‘The SOS Radio Week forms part of the annual RNLI SOS Day fundraising and this year the money raised will go towards new state of the art lifejackets for our volunteer lifeboat crews at all of the north’s lifeboat stations.

‘We are very grateful to the amateur radio enthusiasts for supporting our charity in this way and wish them the best of luck for the event.’

Another activity location will be the Barra Lifeboat Station in the Outer Hebrides.

RNLI SOS Day is on Friday 27 January. For more information or ideas on how to support your volunteer lifeboat crew this SOS Day, please visit the RNLI website: www.rnli.org.uk/sosday

RNLI SOS DAY – http://www.rnli.org.uk/sosday

There will be trade stands, a Bring & Buy and special interest groups.

Doors open at 10.30 and admission is £4. 

Further details from Helen, MM0HLN,  on 07873 327597.

As a build-up to celebrations of this occasion, IOTA has announced a two-year activity period in which all licensed amateurs world-wide are invited to participate.

For this two-year marthon during 2012 and 2013 IOTA chasers are encouraged to contact as many different IOTA groups as possible and IOTA activators to play their part by operating from as many groups as possible, with special emphasis on the less-frequently activated ones.

The points system adopted rewards ‘Activators’ with higher scores for activating the rarer IOTA groups.

Certificates and awards will be available to both ‘Chasers’ and ‘Activators’ to reflect attainment of graduated bands of performance together with attractive prizes for top scorers.

The Marathon starts on 1 January 2012.

The full rules have been uploaded to G3KMA’s website at www.g3kma.dsl.pipex.com

• RSGB IOTA Website - http://www.rsgbiota.org/

Ofcom have granted the use of GB100MWT for this event and to celebrate a number of centenary events during 2011.

CARS will be operating three stations from Sandford Mill Museum. As well as HF CW and SSB they will also be calling “CQ” on each hour during the day using AM from a vintage Marconi 1154 Transmitter and listening on a Marconi 1155 Receiver.

If the distant station cannot transmit using the preferred AM mode, CARS will switch the BFO on and receive a SSB signal. The preferred frequency will be 3.60 – 3.65MHz +/- QRM.

A QSL card will be issued on request.

Contact with any CARS station will be eligible for points towards the Cornish IMD Award (GB4IMD).

As well as the wireless stations, Geoff Lovegrove, G7KLV and Colin Page, G0TRM will be demonstrating Mechanical Morse using 100 year old equipment at the museum.

The Museum is open to the public from 10am-5pm on Saturday April 30, entry and car parking is free. The postcode for SatNavs is CM2 6NY.

For further information see http://www.g0mwt.org.uk/

Active on PSK31 and RTTY also CW and SSB.

Callsign will be MS0KLR info at QRZ.com

IOTA: EU008

IOSA: NH03

WAB: NM48

Locator: IO66WV

Gavin Morrison GM3MOU – SK

Dear Radio friends,

With sadness in my heart I have to report that famous DXer Gavin Morrison GM3MOU died on Friday the 15th of April.

He did fight cancer for 3 years, but could not win this battle.

Gavin was, besides a famous British actor, also the nicest man in the world.

He always had a kind word for everybody and willing to help who ever needed that.

Thank you for posting this on the Southgate News website.

Best 73

Rob, PE9PE

In the FISTS CW Club “Down Under” Newsletter of October 2003, Barry ZL1DD wrote the following:- 

“Ham radio was not a priority on this trip, but enjoyed a wonderful stay with Gavin GM3MOU and XYL Angela, who live out in the country near Stranraer, in the far South West of Scotland. Two of my favourite people! Gavin is a low band DX man: elevated ten acre, life style property out in the countryside, a couple of hundred foot towers, no RFI QRN or neighbours to worry about…. “

Gavin and his XYL (MM3TZA) were both members of the GMDX Group.