GB2RS News

Sunday the 21st of April 2024

The news headlines:

• Dr Stewart Bryant, G3YSX to continue as RSGB Board Chair
• The RSGB has vacancies for Regional Representatives
• The Radio Communications Foundation is recruiting new Trustees

The RSGB Board has met for the first time since the Society’s AGM where three Directors were endorsed to serve as Nominated Directors on the Board and one was confirmed as elected unopposed. The new Board has chosen Dr Stewart Bryant, G3YSX to continue in the role of RSGB Board Chair until the 2025 AGM. You can find details of all RSGB Board Directors on the Society’s website and the Board Liaison roles will be confirmed and added to the page in the coming weeks. Go to rsgb.org/board for more information.

At its recent AGM, the RSGB was delighted to confirm the unopposed election of five Regional Representatives. However, there are still vacancies for Regional Representatives in Region 11, which covers England South-West and the Channel Islands, and also Region 12 which is England East and East Anglia. These vacancies will be filled by co-option until the 2025 AGM. If you live in one of these areas and are passionate about amateur radio, keen to support local radio amateurs and clubs, and have the skills to lead a volunteer team of District Representatives in the region, this could be a role for you! To find out more, please contact Tony Miles, MM0TMZ who is the Board Liaison for the Regional Team via mm0tmz@rsgb.org.uk

The Radio Communications Foundation is a small charity dedicated to encouraging people to take up radio as a hobby or, in the case of youngsters, considering an RF-based career. The RCF is proud to sponsor Arkwright Scholars, work with the RSGB and Bletchley Park to deliver radio-building workshops and make grants for various projects around the UK. Further information is available via the RCF website at commsfoundation.org The RCF is now looking to recruit a couple of new Trustees to help it deliver its aims. Applicants should have an interest in radio communications and be prepared to be involved in decisions over grant-making, delivering RCF projects and attracting charity funding. The RCF would particularly like to hear from anyone with links to secondary education in the UK. Expressions of interest and applications should be sent to rcfsecretary@commsfoundation.org preferably by the end of June.

Following the introduction in February of the new Ofcom amateur radio licence conditions, the RSGB has continued to provide information and support to radio amateurs to help them make the most of the changes. This has included updates, club talks and a section of the AGM event focused on those licence changes. Go to the RSGB YouTube channel, choose the AGM recording from the ‘live’ tab and then watch two sections. Firstly, the main Board Q&A begins just after one hour and eighteen minutes into the event and includes some licensing questions from members. Secondly, a section from just before two hours and thirty-three minutes focused entirely on the new licence conditions and included three videos and a full live Q&A with four senior RSGB representatives. The Society has also published a wealth of information on its website which you can find at rsgb.org/licence-review

Nigel Limb, M7FFU, had a motorbike accident in 2015 that left him with permanent brain damage and partially blind in both eyes, but this didn’t stop him from pursuing his childhood dream of obtaining his amateur radio licence. In December 2023 he passed the Foundation Licence exam. In the early 1970s Sue Jacob, GW7YLS was a shortwave listener and interested in amateur radio, but it wasn’t until she retired and discovered that the exams no longer contained Morse code, that she decided to get more involved. Within 18 months she had passed all three licence levels. One of the great things about amateur radio is that it is accessible to everyone. The RSGB is celebrating this by collecting stories of radio amateurs who have passed their Foundation licence, or progressed through the licence levels, and are now discovering new aspects of amateur radio to enjoy. If you’d like to read more about Nigel, Sue and others, go to rsgb.org/student-stories and, if you’d like to share your story with the Society, email comms@rsgb.org.uk and the RSGB will use as many as possible.

A new amateur radio Facebook group has been formed for those who like getting out and about in motorhomes, campervans, and caravans. The group welcomes all radio enthusiasts. To find out more, or to join the group, search for ‘UK Motorhome and Amateur Radio Group’ on Facebook.

SOS Radio Week is an annual event that takes place throughout May to celebrate the work of the volunteers from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, Independent Lifeboats and National Coastwatch Stations around the British Isles. Members of these organisations save many people between them who are in danger along and around the thousands of miles of coastline and further out to sea. This year is the 200th anniversary of the founding of the RNLI and SOS Radio Week is being co-branded SOS Radio Week 200 for those operators that are supporting the RNLI during the event. Participants can operate from home, a public location, or a lifeboat or Coastwatch station, with the appropriate authorisation from the station manager. A commemorative certificate will be available to all official stations that record their contacts on the website together with awards for the top individual and club, or group, stations on each band from 160m to 70cm. Registration for individual and group operators is available via sosradioweek.org.uk

International Marconi Day will take place on Saturday the 27th of April. Once again, the Cornish Radio Amateur Club is organising and running the event. Lots of amateur radio stations will be operating from sites that Marconi operated from or had a personal connection with. For more information, and to view a list of the stations that are taking part, follow the “International Marconi Day” link on the gx4crc.com  website

And now for details of rallies and events

Andover Radio Amateur Club Boot Sale is taking place today, the 21st, at Wildhern Village Hall, Tangley, Wildhern, Andover, SP11 0JE. The doors open at 10 am for visitors and at 9 am for sellers. Entry costs £2. The fee for a field pitch is £8 and the cost for a table in the hall is £10. For more information visit arac.org.uk

Cambridge Repeater Group Rally was due to take place today, the 21st, at Foxton Village Hall, CB22 6RN. The event has been postponed until Sunday the 14th of July. For more information contact Lawrence, M0LCM on 07941 972 724, email rally2024@cambridgerepeaters.net, or visit cambridgerepeaters.net

The Northern Amateur Radio Societies Association Rally, also known as both the ‘NARSA Rally’ and the ‘Blackpool Rally’, is taking place today, the 21st. The venue is Norbreck Castle Exhibition Centre, Blackpool, FY2 9AA. For more details contact Dave, M0OBW on 01270 761 608, email dwilson@btinternet.com or visit narsa.org.uk

Now the Special Event News

In celebration of World Amateur Radio Day, Martin, OK1RR and Slavek, OK1TN are active as OL1WARD until the 30th of April. They are operating CW only on the HF bands. QSL via Logbook of the World. Paper QSL cards will not be available.

DARC special event callsign DA24WARD is active until the 30th of April, also in celebration of World Amateur Radio Day. All QSOs will be confirmed automatically via the Bureau.

Now the DX news

John, AD8J is active as HR9/AD8J from Roatan Island, NA-057, until the 28th of April. He operates CW, FT4, FT8 and possibly SSB, on the 80 to 6m bands. QSL via Logbook of the World, or direct to John’s home call.

TJ, PE1OJR is active as PJ4TB from Bonaire SA-006, until the 28th of April. He is operating SSB, FT8 and FT4 on the 40 to 6m bands. QSL via Logbook of the World.

Michael, GM5AUG and Kevan, 2E0WMG will be active from the Western Isles of Scotland, with a focus on Barra and the Uists from Friday the 26th of April until Saturday the 4th of May. Worked All Britain hunters will be interested to know that the team will also be visiting Fiaraidh NF61, and Eriskay NF80, which have never before been activated. The guys will be active on the 2m, 70cm, and HF bands, as well as the LEO satellites, using CW, FM, SSB, and packet radio.

Now the contest news

On Tuesday the 23rd, the SHF UK Activity Contest runs from 1830 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on 2.3 to 10GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

On Wednesday the 24th, the UK and Ireland Contest Club 80m Contest runs from 2000 to 2100UTC. Using CW on the 80m band, the exchange is your six-character locator.

On Thursday the 25th, the 80m Club Championship runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using PSK63 and RTTY, the exchange is signal report and serial number.

The UK and Ireland DX CW Contest starts at 1200UTC on Saturday the 27th and ends at 1200UTC on Sunday the 28th of April. Using CW on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. UK and Ireland stations also send their district code.

The SP DX RTTY Contest starts at 1200UTC on Saturday the 27th of April and ends at 1200UTC on Sunday the 28th of April. Using RTTY on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. SP stations also send their province code.

The MGM Contest starts at 1400UTC on Saturday the 27th of April and ends at 1400UTC on Sunday the 28th of April. Using machine-generated modes on the 6 and 2m bands, the exchange is your report and four-character locator.

On Sunday the 28th, the British Amateur Radio Teledata Group Sprint 75 Contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using 75-baud RTTY on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is your serial number.

Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Thursday the 18th of April 2024

Last week saw a welcome return of sunspots but, unfortunately, it also brought unsettled geomagnetic conditions.

By Thursday the 18th the solar flux index was back above 200, hitting 217. Compare that to the previous week’s 131 and you can see that there is a lot more activity. But, with 12 active regions visible, it looks like we could be in for a bumpy ride over the next seven days.

The Kp index hit five on the evening of Tuesday the 16th of April after the interplanetary magnetic field, or Bz, swung southwards, sparking visible aurora in the UK as far south as Dartmoor. This impacted the ionosphere, pushing MUFs over a 3,000km path down, with recovery not showing itself until 0930UTC on Wednesday the 17th.

The 10m band is struggling to open at times, although you may find FT8 still passing weak signals. SSB operators might be better advised to look at the 12 and 15m bands which may provide richer pickings.

Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index may decline to be in the range of 170 at the beginning of the week, falling to between 135 and 140 at the end of the week. The risk of an M-class flare is currently at 75%, with an X-class event at 20%. Despite this, NOAA predicts the Kp index will be around 2 for all of next week. However, there is a chance that a flare and associated CME could scupper that completely.

If we do get a coronal mass ejection, or CME for short, we can expect the Kp index to rise roughly 48 hours after the event, perhaps hitting 5 or more and possibly sparking visible aurora from the UK again.

Overall then, it's good news on the sunspot front, but not so good for geomagnetic activity, which could see MUFs fall if any solar flares and CMEs come to fruition.

And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO

The weather is likely to remain unsettled, despite temporary high pressure moving across the country this weekend. This may bring some Tropo, but it’s a cold air high and probably not the best for enhanced VHF conditions, except for localised overnight or early morning temporary lifts.

The rest of the time, there will continue to be an unsettled flavour to the weather so this leads to the possibility of rain scatter on the GHz bands, especially if we get heavy April showers.

This first weekend coincides with the peak of the Lyrid meteor shower which peaks tonight, the 21st and 22nd, so it’s worth checking the usual meteor scatter frequencies. If you are not familiar with meteor rates and variations from day to day, then visit the excellent Radio Meteor Observing Bulletin at rmob.org which gives an hourly display from various locations around the world. You can find many other useful links to meteor scatter resources by searching for ‘meteor scatter’ at rsgb.org

The Sun has woken up a little since last week, and a few auroral flutter signals on the LF bands suggest we shouldn’t give up yet for this spring. As usual, keep a watch for the Kp index going above 5.

The late April period can provide some fleeting early season Sporadic-E events, especially for the 10 and 6m bands. A couple of weak 5MHz Sporadic-E critical frequencies were noted during the late afternoon on Wednesday the 17th on the Dourbes plot shown at propquest.co.uk

For EME operators, Moon declination goes negative again today, the 21st, but path losses are falling as we passed apogee yesterday, the 20th. 144MHz sky noise is low but will rise to moderate by the end of next week.

And that’s all from the propagation team this week.