GB2RS

   GB2RS NewsSunday the 15th of May 2022 The news headlines:Innovation 70 project for Platinum JubileeYoungsters On The Air contestIARU Monitoring Service newsletter The RSGB has launched the Innovation 70 competition as part of its Platinum Jubilee activities. The challenge is to design and build a useful piece of equipment with no more than 70 connections, or a useful piece of software with no more than 70 lines of code. A selection of the most innovative entries will be published in RadCom and on the RSGB website. The RSGB Technical Forum will judge the entries and the results will be announced at the end of the year. The closing date is the 30th of September. Go to rsgb.org/jubilee and click on the Innovation 70 section to find out more. The next Youngsters On The Air Contest takes place on the 21st of May between 0800 and 1959UTC. Everyone can take part and show their support for young amateurs across the world. There are eight different categories, including special ones for those under 25 years of age. Using the 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10m bands, the contest is CW and SSB only. The exchange includes the age of the participating operators, which acts as multipliers. Find out more at ham-yota.com.The IARU Monitoring Service for Region 1 has published its April newsletter. It talks about emissions that are often received on the 40 and 20m bands with a bandwidth of about 8kHz. Thoughts are that it could be a jammer where the signal is intentionally transmitted over other transmissions in order to disrupt or nullify their reception. The newsletter includes a report by Richard, G4DYA, the RSGB Intruder Watch Coordinator, that includes many radar sightings. You can read more at iaru-r1.org.All RSGB Members who have an email address linked to their membership should have received an email in the last few days. This email explains how to set up a new password to access the updated membership portal. The email will have been sent to the email address linked to your membership account. If you are an RSGB Member and don’t think you have received an email, please do check your junk folder. If you still can’t see an email, please contact membership@rsgb.org.uk or call the RSGB during office hours on 01234 832 700 and choose option two. While the Society has been sending out the emails, access to the online members’ resources such as RadCom have been turned off, but it plans to make them accessible again early this week. Sad news now. Nancy Bone, G7UUR, the co-founder and long-time secretary of the Angel of the North ARC became a Silent Key last week. She was an RSGB Deputy Regional Manager for a number of years, a repeater licence holder, exam tutor and GB2RS newsreader. In everything that she did, she approached it with enthusiasm and commitment that challenged and inspired others. We are thinking of her husband Warren, G7MWB, their family and many friends at this difficult time.Since the AGM, the RSGB Board has made two appointments. Richard Horton, G4AOJ will be the new Board Chair and Stan Lee, G4XXI has taken on the role of Company Secretary. The Board would like to record its thanks to General Manager Steve Thomas, M1ACB for carrying out the additional role of Company Secretary since June 2020.Brickworks is a scheme run by local amateur radio clubs that have committed to helping all licensed amateur radio operators discover more about what the hobby has to offer. It was originally launched in early 2020 by the RSGB under the name of the Beyond Exams Club Scheme. When Covid struck, clubs were no longer able to meet in person and it was harder to help radio amateurs to work through the Club Scheme activities. Now life is opening up again, the RSGB is delighted that Brickworks, as it will now be called, is being relaunched. Whether you are a new licensee, returning to amateur radio or want to try something new, Brickworks has something to offer you. For more information see rsgb.org/brickworks. And now for details of rallies and events Please send your rally and event news as soon as possible to radcom@rsgb.org.uk. We’ll publicise your event in RadCom, on GB2RS, and online. Next week the Dayton Hamvention takes place between the 20th and 22nd of May at the Greene County Fairground in Ohio, USA. Now in its 70th year, this is one of the largest amateur radio shows in the world, famous for its massive flea market. There will also be lectures, traders and a strong ARRL and RSGB presence, including a bookstall.  Next Sunday, the 22nd of May, the National Amateur Radio Car Boot Sale organised by Dunstable Downs Radio Club will take place at Stockwood Park in Luton. Entry and car parking are £4 per vehicle and the gates open at 9 am for buyers. Now the DX newsIrek, SP3SUX will be operating as DV8/KH7EA from Mindanao Island, OC-130, in the Philippines until the 27th of May. Activity will be during his daytime hours on the 6 to 80m bands using CW and SSB. QSL to his home callsign.Members of the Radio Club of Haiti will be active as HH18MAI between the 18th and 23rd of May. The special callsign is for Flag Day, which commemorates the creation of the flag of Haiti in 1803. QSL via W3HNK.Dick, K2KA will be active holiday style as V4/K2KA from St. Kitts, NA-104, until the 18th of May. QSL via his preferred method of the logbook of The World, Club Log, or direct to K2KA.Andrey, R9YU and Gennady, R5QA are on the air as JV0YU from Mongolia until the 10th of June. Activity is on the HF and VHF/UHF bands using CW, SSB and FT8 in DXpedition mode. QSL via RW6HS. Now the Special Event newsNorthwest Group Amateur Radio Club in Londonderry are activating GB0AEL as part of the 90th Anniversary of Amelia Earhart landing in Londonderry. She was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. They will activate GB0AEL until the 30th of May. More information on qrz.com under the callsign GB0AEL. Now the contest newsToday, the 15th, the 70MHz CW contest runs from 0900 to 1200UTC. The exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.The UK Microwave Group’s millimetre-wave contest runs from 0900 to 1700UTC today, the 15th. Using all modes on the 24, 47 and 76GHz bands the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.On Tuesday the 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.The data leg of the 80m Club Championships runs on Wednesday from 1900 to 2030UTC. The exchange is a signal report and serial number.On Thursday the all-mode 70MHz UK Activity Contest runs between 1900 and 2130UTC. The exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.Next weekend is the 144MHz May contest. It runs for 24 hours from 1400UTC on the 21st. Using all modes the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Note that UK stations also send their postcode.Next Sunday, the 22nd, the First 144MHz Backpackers contest runs from 1100 to 1500UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Note that UK stations also send their postcode. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Friday the 13th of May 2022.Well, it looks like the US Air Force was more accurate than NOAA with their solar flux index forecast last week. While the week started with an SFI at 117, by Thursday it had grown to 133. It has been mostly quiet from a geomagnetic point of view with a maximum Kp index of three, with mostly ones and twos. The only downside has been a number of solar flares, which includes an X-class flare on Tuesday the 10th. The X1.5 event was observed from sunspot region 3006 at 1355UTC and resulted in a radio blackout over the Atlantic, Africa and South America. The critical frequency, as measured by the Chilton Ionosonde, dropped below 7MHz for a time, before recovering.Despite this short-lived phenomenon, there has been plenty of DX to be worked on the higher bands. The 15m band has seen Asia and the Far East romping in on FT8 and there have been 10m band openings to Australia and the Middle East. Next week NOAA predicts that the SFI will be in the range 118-122 with generally quiet geomagnetic conditions. But we give the same warning as we did last week. NASA gives a 45% chance of an M-class flare and a 15% chance of an X-class flare occurring at the moment. Any solar flare could trigger a coronal mass ejection and, if Earth-facing, we can expect a degradation in HF paths, perhaps 36 to 48 hours after the CME event as the solar plasma hits and the Kp index rises.The better news is that the Sporadic-E season is now in full swing and plenty of low-power 10m beacons are becoming audible between 28.160 and 28.325MHz. These are often a good indicator of openings. A list of 10m beacons can be found on the RSGB website under On the Air. Just click on Beacons and Repeaters. And now the VHF and up propagation news.There is a typical flavour to the current weather pattern with high pressure, initially to the south, being displaced east as an Atlantic low tries to push its associated weather fronts into western Britain. This will eventually lead to unstable, thundery bands of rain spreading into the country from the southwest. It makes detail complicated, but some rules still apply. There will be some Tropo, especially at first and perhaps occasionally next week along the east coast and across the North Sea. However, the changing element is going to be how effectively the thundery rain areas move across the country, and they will reduce the Tropo chances and introduce some rain scatter.There are some small meteor showers this week, the Eta Lyrids peaked on the 10th of May but the o-Cetids, peaking on the 20th of May, are the most significant. With this addition to the seasonal increase in random meteor flux, expect good conditions for meteor scatter DXing. Apart from the random meteor scatter options, the growing interest is in Sporadic-E and most days you can find something on the clusters to confirm that the new season is starting to simmer nicely.The position of jet streams and the type of upper-air weather pattern this week suggests that the main features will slow down and leave marked meanderings north and south. Preferred directions would be to Scandinavia and the Baltic plus secondly looking south towards Spain and Portugal.The Moon gets to minimum declination on Thursday, and today, Sunday is the perigee. The week’s trend will therefore be for shorter Moon windows until Thursday and rising path losses. 144MHz sky noise is high all week, reaching 2200K on Wednesday. And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 8th of May 2022 The news headlines: Could you join the RadCom Editorial team? IARU Region 1 wants your bright ideas for the hobby RSGB Convention bookings open If you are interested in becoming part of the RSGB RadCom Editorial team, the Society is recruiting for a Managing Editor and a Technical Editor. There is further information about both roles on the Society's website at www.rsgb.org/careers. The IARU Region 1 is looking for ideas that could lead to more licensed radio amateurs. Draft proposals are welcome by the 31st of May. The best ideas will be shared with the proposing teams so they can work on a more detailed project on 10th June. Details are at iaru-r1.org. The RSGB is holding an in-person Convention again between the 7th and 9th of October at Kents Hill Park Training and Conference Centre, Milton Keynes. Booking is now open and, if you book by the 31st of August, you can take advantage of the early-bird discounts. For further information see rsgb.org/convention. Canada's amateur radio regulator has granted amateurs in Canada the right to use special callsigns in honour of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee for the period of the 14th of May to the 14th of July. For example, VE3 calls become VX3, VA7 becomes VG7 and so on. The special callsigns may also be used during the IARU World HF Championship Contest. Today, Sunday the 8th of May is the deadline for young radio amateurs to apply to represent their country and national society at this year’s Youngsters on the Air, or YOTA, summer camp. The camp will be held in Croatia from the 6th to the 13th of August. To apply, you need to be a Member of the RSGB, aged between 15 and 25. For further information see rsgb.org/yota. The digital TV repeater, GB3JV, has undergone some major upgrades. A new 70cm reduced bandwidth TV input and a new repeater controller have been added. Justin, G8YTZ, the repeater keeper, hopes the upgrades will encourage more users. Listeners may be interested to know there is an article in the CQ-TV magazine, number 275, about the repeater controller. More at gb3jv.co.uk. A reminder that the RSGB’s summer programme for Tonight@8 begins tomorrow, Monday the 9th of May. Mark Haynes, M0DXR will talk about contesting. He will explain how this aspect of amateur radio can not only be a good test for your station but also a great way to make lots of QSOs with many countries in a short period of time. You can watch and ask questions live on the RSGB YouTube channel or find out more on the Society’s website at rsgb.org/webinars. And now for details of rallies and events Please send your rally and event news as soon as possible to radcom@rsgb.org.uk. We’ll publicise your event in RadCom, on GB2RS, and online. Today, the 8th, the Lough Erne ARC Annual Rally will be held at the Arena @ Share Discovery Village, 221 Lisnaskea Road, Lisnaskea BT92 0JZ. Doors open at 11.30 am for the public. Facilities are available on-site for breakfast, lunches and tea & coffee. Next Saturday, the 14th, the Barry ARS Rally will take place at Sully Sports & Social Club, South Road, Sully near Barry CF64 5SP. Open to the traders from 7.30 am and to the public from 9.30 am, admission is £2.50. There is free parking on site. Now the DX news Mike, W6QT plans to be active as DU3/W6QT from Subic Bay in the Philippines until the 15th of September. He will operate SSB and FT8 on the 6 to 80m bands. QSL via W6QT. The log will be uploaded to Logbook of The World and Club Log. Ilya, R5AF and Igor, R4FCN will be active as EX/R5AF and EX/R4FCN from Kyrgyzstan until the 14th of May. They will operate CW, FT8 and some SSB on the 10 to 40m bands. QSL cards will be sent to everyone via the bureau. They also plan to upload to Logbook of The World, eQSL, HamLog and Club Log. Three operators will be active as 5P1EG from Romo Island, EU-125, until the 14th of May. They will operate CW, SSB and digital modes on various bands. QSL via SP1EG. Yuris, YL2GM will be active as VU4W from the Andaman Islands, AS- 001, until the 16th of May. Look for activity on the 10 to 160m bands CW, SSB, RTTY and FT8 Fox and Hounds mode. QSL via Club Log's OQRS or direct to YL2GN. Now the Special Event news Northwest Group Amateur Radio Club in Londonderry are activating GB0AEL as part of the 90th Anniversary of Amelia Earhart's landing in Londonderry. She was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. They will activate GB0AEL from the 13th to the 30th of May. More information on qrz.com under the callsign GB0AEL. GB0SCW will be on the air from Stone Cross Windmill, East Sussex between 10 am and 5 pm on the 7th and 8th of May. They plan to use SSB on the 3.5, 7 and 14MHz bands, as well as 2m and 70cm FM. There may also be HF operations from a car parked on the windmill grounds during the evenings. See qrz.com for more details. Other special event stations to look for during the next week are GB2WTM from Woodbridge Tide Mill and GB1TLB from Torbay. GB2PHC will be operating from Macclesfield and GB5CBH from Broad Hinton. Finally, from the Ofcom data, GB2IPA will be on the air from Southwold. Now the contest news Running for 24 hours next weekend, the 432MHz to 245GHz contest ends at 1400UTC today, the 8th. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also running for 24 hours is the ARI International DX Contest. This finishes at 1200UTC today, the 8th. Using CW, RTTY and SSB on the 3.5MHz to 28MHz bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Note that Italian stations will also give their Province code. Three contests are due to take place today, the 8th of May. The UK Microwave Group Low Band Contest runs from 0800 to 1400UTC. Using all modes on the 1.3 to 3.4GHz bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also running between 0800 and 1400UTC is the 10GHz Trophy contest. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Finally, for today, the 8th, the Worked All Britain 7MHz Phone Contest runs from 1000 to 1400UTC. Phone modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and your Worked All Britain location. On Monday the SSB leg of the 80m Club Championships runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. The exchange is a signal report and serial number. The 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855UTC on Tuesday. It is followed by the all-mode 432MHz UK Activity Contest from 1900 to 2130UTC. The exchange is the same for both, the signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday it is the 432MHz FT8 Activity Contest running from 1900 to 2100UTC. The exchange is your report and 4-character locator. Thursday sees the 50MHz UK Activity Contest taking place between 1900 and 2130UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Next Sunday, the 15th, the 70MHz CW contest runs from 0900 to 1200UTC. The exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The UK Microwave Groups millimetre-wave contest runs from 0900 to 1700UTC next Sunday, the 15th. Using all modes on the 24, 47 and 76GHz bands the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Friday the 6th of May 2022. Last week was characterised by solar flares. At the time of writing, we have seen more than 50 since the 1st of May, including one high-energy X-class flare. This occurred on the 3rd of May at 1325 hours and caused a radio blackout over much of the Atlantic. Luckily, the Kp index has remained low, which has enabled the ionosphere to develop. And solar flux indices have been steadily climbing and reached 130 by Thursday. There have been many reports of good propagation. It has been a simple case of being in the right place at the right time. Ten metres has been open well into the evening at times, as well as providing paths to Australasia in the morning. At other times people have reported the band as being dead. We have also seen the beginnings of the Sporadic-E season with reports that 10 metres has been wide open to Europe at times. Hopefully, this will develop as the month goes on. Next week, NOAA predicts that the SFI may dip before climbing back into the 120s. However, the US Air Force says that it will just continue to rise, perhaps hitting 140. This seems more plausible going on past performance. Geomagnetic conditions are predicted to be quiet with a Kp index of two. However, it would only take one Earth-facing coronal mass ejection to spoil this entirely. And now the VHF and up propagation news. Starting with Tropo news, this weekend sees the new week starting with high pressure right over the British Isles. This high will drift slowly southeast into the continent by midweek, centred over the Balkans. There should be some reasonable Tropo paths, especially to the south into France and northern Spain. This will be fairly short-lived because, starting midweek, a weakening cold front brings rain to northwest Britain and breaks up into showers as it moves south. This brings the prospect of some rain scatter for a while and as per last week, this is likely to peak in the afternoon. After these showery days, another high appears by Friday to end the week, gradually transferring to the North Sea with a further chance of Tropo. Bear in mind that these weather forecasts are 10 days out so there are bound to be differences in the models. From midweek, some models retain the showery risk for longer. Summer Sporadic-E, or Es, propagation is well underway with some early reports up to 2m by Chris, G0DWV who heard an IV3 briefly on 2m before dropping back into the noise. We have had many hints of the new season, mostly on 10m and 6m. Just to remind you that Es activity tends to come in two periods, mid-morning and again late afternoon/early evening. Remember the daily blog on Propquest.co.uk, which gives the current day’s prospects as well as an EPI (Es Probability Index) map to allow you to plan your shack activity. The Eta Aquariid meteor shower is tailing off now but the Make More Miles on the VHF website suggests that meteoroids released from the minor planet 2006GY2 may cause activity on the 15th of May around 1020UTC. Apparently, the stream should be dense, so worth a look. The Moon has passed peak declination and we are a week away from next Sunday’s perigee. The week’s trend will therefore be for shorter Moon windows and peak elevation and falling path losses. 144MHz sky noise is low this week, slowly rising and reaching 400K next Sunday. And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 1st of May 2022 The news headlines: Access to RSGB systems Open Zoom meeting on the ADIF Processor Apply for the Youngsters on the Air Summer Camp The RSGB President spoke about the new Customer Relationship Management system at the AGM last Saturday. The Society would like to pre-warn Members that they will not be able to update their membership details from Thursday the 5th of May to Tuesday the 10th of May. This applies both to the online membership portal and to any telephone or email requests made to the Membership Team at HQ. This time will be a transition period as the new system is brought online. Once it is active, RSGB members will be asked to create a new password to enable them to access the membership portal and further details about this will be shared next week. This is the first part of a series of upgrades being planned for Membership Services. On Thursday evening, the 5th of May, Wigtownshire Amateur Radio Club is hosting an open Zoom meeting. It will be a talk by Mark Wickens, M0NOM on The ADIF Processor. This is an online tool, developed by Mark, for enriching your log files and visualising contacts on Google Earth. Originally developed to help him record additional, useful information in his log files, it became a way of viewing QSOs and propagation paths on Google Earth. You can read more and see some of the graphics of propagation paths on the club’s website at gm4riv.org. To receive the Zoom link, please email in advance to events@gm4riv.org. The link will be emailed to you on Thursday the 5th, shortly before the 'virtual doors' open at 7:40 pm. The 2022 Youngsters on the Air, or YOTA, IOTA region 1 summer camp will be held in Croatia not far from the capital city of Zagreb. The Croatian Amateur Radio Association will be hosting the event, which will take place from the 6th to the 13th of August. This is a chance in a lifetime for young RSGB members to represent their country and national society. Participants will join workshops where they will gain the skills to start similar amateur radio youth events when they return home. There will also be time to enjoy operating the latest amateur radio equipment, both locally and remotely, kit-building and visiting the seaside and the capital city. To apply, you need to be a Member of the RSGB, aged between 15 and 25. The deadline for applications is Sunday the 8th of May. For further information see the RSGB website at rsgb.org/yota or for an application form please email youth.champion@rsgb.org.uk. The results of the RSGB election, annual trophies and the 2022 Construction Competition were announced at the Society’s AGM on the 23rd of April. You can read the results on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/agm under the AGM 2022 proceedings tab. The summer programme for Tonight@8 begins on Monday the 9th of May. It will be a presentation by Mark Haynes, M0DXR on contesting, which is also sometimes known as radiosport. He will explain how this aspect of amateur radio can not only be a good test for your station but also a great way to make lots of QSOs with many countries in a short period of time. The presentation will cover the basics of contesting but will also give a flavour of the more advanced techniques adopted by experienced and extreme contesters. It will also include an explanation of what it takes to achieve a world win in the largest events of the year. The RSGB is looking to recruit a Technical Editor for RadCom. Reporting to the Managing Editor, the successful candidate will need a wide range of radio and electronic knowledge, including amateur radio. The RSGB is looking for someone who is positive, enthusiastic about technology, has an excellent command of English and has a good eye for detail. For more detailed information about the role and how to apply, see the Careers page on the RSGB website rsgb.org/careers. And now for details of rallies and events Please send your rally and event news as soon as possible to radcom@rsgb.org.uk. We’ll publicise your event in RadCom, on GB2RS, and online. Today, the 1st of May, Thorpe Camp Visitor Centre Radio Amateur Rally will be at Thorpe Camp, Tattershall, Thorpe, Lincolnshire. It is open to the public from 9 am till 1 pm and entry is £4 with under 12s free. There will be hot and cold food on-site and car parking inside the grounds. Contact Anthony on 07956 654481. On bank holiday Monday, the 2nd of May, the Dartmoor Radio Rally will take place in the Yelverton War Memorial Hall, Meavy Lane, Yelverton PL20 6AL. There is free parking and the doors open at 10 am, with admission being £2.50. There will be a Bring & Buy as well as trader stands. Refreshments will also be available. Contact Roger on 0785 408 8882. Next Sunday, the 8th, the Lough Erne ARC Annual Rally will be held at the Arena @ Share Discovery Village, 221 Lisnaskea Road, Lisnaskea BT92 0JZ. Doors open at 11.30 am for the public. Facilities are available on-site for breakfast, lunches and tea & coffee. Now the DX news Renato, PY8WW will be active as HK0/PY8WW from San Andres Island, NA-033, between the 7th and 12th of May. He plans to operate on the 6 to 40m bands. QSL via his home call. Hitoshi, JR0UIU will be active as JR0UIU/0 from Awashima Island, AS-206, until the 3rd of May. He plans to operate CW, SSB, RTTY and FT8 on various bands and also via satellite. QSL via his home call, direct or via the bureau. Janusz, SP9FIH and Leszek, SP6CIK are operating from Nepal as 9N7WE and 9N7CI, respectively, until the 19th of May. Activity is on the 6 to 40m bands. QSL to their home calls. Michael, W6QT is operating as DU3/W6QT from Subic Bay in the Philippines during the month of May. Activity is on the 6 to 80m bands using SSB and FT8. QSL to his home call. Now the Special Event news GB0SCW will be on the air from Stone Cross Windmill, East Sussex from 10 am to 5 pm next Saturday and Sunday. Using SSB on the 3.5, 7 and 14MHz bands, they also plan activities on 2m and 70cm. There may also be some HF operations in the evenings from a car parked on the windmill grounds. See qrz.com for more details. Dom, F5SJB will operate CW only as TM5RDL between the 1st and 15th of May. The special callsign commemorates the composer, Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, who wrote the song that eventually became the French national anthem. QSL via F5SJB. Now the contest news The UK EI Contest Club DX contest runs for 24 hours until 1200UTC today, the 1st of May. Using CW only on the 3.5 to 28MHz bands where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Note that EI and GI stations also send their District code. Today, the 1st of May, the UK Six Metre Group Summer marathon starts. It runs until the 2nd of August. Using all modes on the 50MHz bands, the exchange is your 4-character locator. On Tuesday the 144MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855UTC. It is followed by the all-mode 144MHz UK Activity Contest from 1900 to 2130UTC. The exchange is the same, signal report, serial number and locator. The 144MHz FT8 Activity Contest takes place on Wednesday from 1900 to 2100UTC. The exchange is your report and 4-character locator. On Saturday, the 432MHz trophy takes place between 1400 and 2200UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Running for 24 hours next weekend, the 432MHz to 245GHz contest ends at 1400UTC on Sunday the 8th. Using all modes the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also running for 24 hours is the ARI International DX contest. This finishes at 1200UTC on the 8th. Using CW, RTTY and SSB on the 3.5MHz to 28MHz bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Note that Italian stations will also give their Province code. Three contests are due to take place next Sunday, the 8th of May. The UK Microwave Group Low Band Contest runs from 0800 to 1400UTC. Using all modes on the 1.3 to 3.4GHz bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also running between 0800 and 1400UTC is the 10GHz Trophy contest. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Finally for the 8th, the Worked All Britain 7MHz Phone Contest runs from 1000 to 1400UTC. Using AM, FM and SSB, the exchange is signal report, serial number and your Worked All Britain locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Friday the 29th of April 2022. A week of high solar flux indices brought good openings on the higher bands. With the SFI consistently above 140 all week (at the time of writing) there have been reports of 10-metre openings well into the evening. As Ian Goodier on the 10m UK Net Facebook group reported: “Tonight on 10m you could mistake the band for 20m - East Malaysia in one direction, Mexico in the other.” There were also reports of Australian and New Zealand stations being worked on 10 metres, making this possibly one of the best weeks for 28MHz so far this solar cycle. But there were some spanners in the works too. There were a lot of C-class solar flares and two M-class events this week. Geomagnetic conditions have also been disturbed at times with Wednesday being the worst day with the Kp index hitting five twice on one day. Solarham.net said this was an unexpected geomagnetic storm as the Bz component of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) tipped south. Another solar storm is forecast for the 29th of April, thanks to a large coronal hole on the Sun’s equator. NOAA predicts more of the same next week with the SFI probably above 130. Geomagnetic conditions are predicted to be quiet next week, with an average Kp index of two. That is, at least until the 7th of May when it could rise to four. However, this presupposes that we don’t have any coronal mass ejections to contend with. At this point in the solar cycle, solar flares and associated CMEs are commonplace and could push the Kp index higher roughly 48 hours after any Earth-directed CME. As always, keep an eye on Solarham.net for daily updates. And finally, we can now expect a big upturn in Sporadic-E openings on the higher HF bands. Keep an eye on the European 10m beacons for openings and find out more in our VHF news. And now the VHF and up propagation news. As we move into May, the chances of Sporadic-E begin to increase and it's worth keeping a close eye on the usual bands from 10m up to 6m, later in the month, the 2m band might surprise us. The Propquest.co.uk website contains a useful EPI map plot of regions where Sporadic-E may be more likely based upon weather triggers of atmospheric gravity waves that are part of the formation process. It also contains a daily blog with commentary to highlight significant jet streams and other regions of interest. The main focus on the weather charts starts with high pressure bringing fairly good Tropo conditions at the end of last week. Over this weekend a small low will drift into western areas and generally disrupt the Tropo propagation, producing a weaker pattern for next week with a hint of isolated showers. Later in the week, some models bring another low southeast from Iceland to Denmark introducing a cooler north-westerly flow with a few showers until a new high builds next weekend. The result of this will be possible Tropo windows later towards next weekend. There is a possibility of a little rain scatter in between, but generally limited. The Eta Aquariid meteor shower will peak between midnight and dawn on Friday the 6th of May 2022. Its ZHR is a very respectable 50. The shower favours the Southern Hemisphere and the radiant is low in the sky for the UK in the early pre-dawn hours. The predictable cycle of Moon-bounce propagation continues this week with positive Moon declination peaking on Thursday, now almost coinciding with apogee and therefore highest path losses. After mid-July, the trend of rising declination and rising path loss reverses, until, in mid-2026 maximum declination coincides with perigee and minimum path loss again. 144MHz sky noise is generally low this week, reaching 500K on Wednesday. And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 24th of April 2022 The news headlines: Two new GB2RS broadcasts Take part in SOS Radio Week VMARS nets The RSGB GB2RS News Service is delighted to announce two new broadcasts on Sundays. With a nod to how it all started back in 1955, we have introduced a transmission using amplitude modulation. This takes place in the 80m band on 3650kHz at 8 am UK time from the station of G4JBD in Bedfordshire. The intended coverage is the Midlands and the South East of England but it may be heard more widely when propagation is favourable. For those in the South West Glasgow area who are busy on Sunday mornings, we are now offering an evening broadcast on 2m. Delivered by 2M0GUI on 145.525MHz FM, the transmission is at 6.30 pm UK time. Every year thousands of people get into difficulty around our coast. Thousands of unpaid volunteers swing into action to save and rescue them. SOS Radio Week celebrates the work of these selfless volunteers. Amateur radio stations get on the air to raise awareness of the invaluable work of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, National Coastwatch Institution and the many independent lifeboat and rescue organisations around our coasts. The activity starts at 0000UTC on the 1st of May and concludes at 2359UTC on the 31st. Participants are encouraged to become an official Registered Station and make as many contacts as possible, mentioning the reason for the event during their contact. For further details visit sosradioweek.org.uk The Vintage Military Amateur Radio Society will be displaying at the Blackpool Rally today. They have regular nets on 3.615MHz at 8.30 am on Saturdays using AM and at 8 pm on Wednesdays using USB to facilitate the use of ex-military equipment. On Fridays, the frequency remains as 3.615MHz at 7.30 pm using LSB. More at www.vmars.org. As part of the forthcoming Jubilee celebrations, the RSGB has announced further details of its GB70 special event station activities. The seven SES callsigns will be active across the Jubilee weekend, from the 2nd to the 5th of June, on multiple bands and modes by various clubs. After that weekend, these special callsigns will be available for activation by RSGB affiliated clubs or individual RSGB members until the 28th of June. Each callsign has a volunteer coordinator responsible for allocating operating slots in a published schedule. They will also collect the log files from those who have been activating the calls. For further information see the GB70 page in the RSGB Jubilee web section at rsgb.org/jubilee. Provisional results for the 2021 IARU Region 1 Marconi Memorial VHF Contest are available. A total of 762 logs from 27 different countries in Region 1 were received. You can read the provisional results at iaru-r1.org. This year’s CDXC Convention will take place on Saturday the 7th of May at The Link Hotel, Loughborough. The AGM will take place on the same day but, for those who cannot attend, online voting will be available a few days before and instructions will be sent out nearer the time. An interesting list of speakers has been arranged and can be found at www.cdxc.org.uk. And now for details of rallies and events Please send your rally and event news as soon as possible to radcom@rsgb.org.uk. We’ll publicise your event in RadCom, on GB2RS, and online. The Cambridge Repeater Group Rally takes place today, the 24th. The venue is Foxton Village Hall, Hardman Road, Foxton, Cambridge CB22 6RN. Doors open at 9.30 am and admission is £3. There will be a talk in station, trade stands, car boot area and a Bring & Buy. Catering is available on site. More at cambridgerepeaters.net. Also today, the 24th is the Northern Amateur Radio Societies Association Exhibition, also known as the Blackpool Rally. It will be held at the Norbreck Castle Exhibition Centre, Blackpool FY2 9AA. More details at narsa.org.uk. The Andover Radio Club Spring Boot Sale is due to take place today, the 24th, at Wildhern Village Hall, SP11 0JE. It is open at 10 am and is organised by the Andover Radio Amateur Club. Details at arac.org.uk. Next Sunday, the Thorpe Camp Visitor Centre Radio Amateur Rally will be at Thorpe Camp, Tattershall, Thorpe, Lincolnshire. It is open to the public from 9 am till 1 pm and entry is £4 with under 12s free. There will be hot and cold food on-site and car parking inside the grounds. Contact Anthony on 07956 654481. Now the DX news Thierry, F6CUK will be active as TM8C from Brehat Island, EU-074, until the 30th of April. He will operate SSB, CW and FT8 mainly on 40, 30 and 20m bands. QSL via F6CUK either direct or bureau and Logbook of The World. Lubo, OM5ZW will be active holiday style as 3B8/OM5ZW from Mauritius, AF-049, from the 29th of April to the 6th of May. He will operate CW, SSB, RTTY and FT8 on the 10 to 80m bands. QSL via Logbook of The World and Club Log's OQRS. John, W5JON will be active as V47JA from St. Kitts, NA-104, until the 28th of April. He will operate SSB and FT8 on the 6 to 160m bands. QSL via Logbook of The World or direct only to W5JON. Now the Special Event news Flight Refuelling ARS will be operating from the club station using GB2FRA to celebrate the club’s 40th anniversary. It is intended that the callsign will be used on all the bands and modes that are available from the club shack including 10GHz EME. Operations will run throughout April. Medway Amateur Receiving and Transmitting Society will operate GB5MW between the 3rd and 30th of April to celebrate the society's centenary year. QSL via eQSL. Now the contest news The SP DX RTTY contest runs for 24 hours ending at 1200UTC today, the 24th. Using the 3.5 to 28MHz bands where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number with Polish stations also sending their Region code. Running until 2130UTC on the 24th, the First MGM contest uses the 50 and 144MHz bands. The exchange is your report and 4-character locator. Today, the 24th, the BARTG Sprint 75 Contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using 75 baud RTTY on the 3.5 to 28MHz bands where contests are permitted, the exchange is the serial number. On Tuesday the SHF UK Activity Contest runs from 1830 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 2.3GHz and up bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Wednesday sees the UK EI Contest Club 80m CW contest running from 1900 to 2000UTC. Using CW only, the exchange is your 6-character locator. On Thursday it’s the RTTY and PSK63 leg of the 80m Club Championships. Running between 1900 and 2030UTC, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Next weekend, the UK EI Contest Club DX contest runs from 1200UTC on the 30th of April to 1200UTC on Sunday the 1st of May. Using CW only on the 3.5 to 28MHz bands where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Note that EI and GI stations also send their District code. Next Sunday, the 1st of May, the UK Six Metre Group Summer marathon starts. It runs until the 2nd of August. Using all modes on the 50MHz bands, the exchange is your 4-character locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Friday the 22nd of April 2022. Last week was characterised by solar flares – lots of them! There were numerous strong flares, although the majority occurred in the early hours and so didn’t affect the ionosphere over Europe. Solar flare events can cause short-lived radio blackouts as the energetic photons penetrate deep into the D-layer. Solar activity during the past 30 days has increased drastically with five of the top 10 strongest flares of Cycle 25 detected during this period alone. We have also had very strong sunspot activity with the solar flux index peaking at 160 on Thursday the 21st. The current crop of four sunspot groups probably means we can expect the SFI to stay high until at least early next week. NOAA predicts the SFI will stay above 130, but we may get even higher figures for a time. It also predicts a maximum Kp index of two next week, although that could easily rise if we get hit by matter from any incoming CMEs, which are getting more prevalent as the cycle continues. The good news is that, at the time of writing, it didn’t look like we will get any coronal hole activity. There have been numerous reports of good conditions on the higher bands - 21, 24 and 28MHz – including openings to TX5N on the Austral Islands. Braco, 8Q7DX, who is on holiday in the Maldives, has also been worked. There have also been some signs of early Sporadic-E with very loud openings to Spain on 10 metres. So if the SFI stays this high and we don’t get many geomagnetic disturbances it could be a good week for HF. And now the VHF and up propagation news. We have a classic spring start to things with low pressure over the near continent, aided by the increasing warmth of the spring sunshine, while colder regions to the north become home to high pressure near Iceland. Between the two, we will have a strong and cold-feeling east to northeasterly wind over the UK; not really the setup required for Tropo, since the strong winds and turbulence destroy any temperature inversion. The changes come along after this weekend as the low weakens and a ridge of high pressure extends south across the country with much lighter winds and a chance of Tropo, especially overnight. It is possible that isolated showers may offer a little rain scatter, but not a high probability. It would be better to consider possible aurora and meteor scatter as your exotic modes. In this closing part of April, the best is within reach, since Sporadic-E is a serious possibility on 10m and perhaps 6m. Use the beacons and clusters to guide you, but if you start to adjust to your summer operating rule of checking for Es mid-morning and late afternoon or early evening, then Es QSOs will soon come. The Winter minimum of meteor show activity is at an end with Sporadic meteor rates increasing towards their usual maximum in late summer. The Lyrids shower has passed the peak but continues to be active until the 30th. Moon declination starts the week negative with low peak moon elevations and short visibility windows but turns positive again on Thursday. Path losses are on the increase again as we are past perigee. 144 MHz sky noise is low all week except Saturday afternoon when the Sun and Moon are close in the sky for the five hours leading up to Moonset at approximately 1900hrs. And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 17th of April 2022 The news headlines: RSGB AGM to be live-streamed Pop Up YOTA net today New EMF video The RSGB AGM is being live-streamed on Saturday at 12 noon. You can still submit a question for the RSGB Board to answer during the event, but you will need to do so before 9 am on Wednesday the 20th of April. Voting in the elections closes at 9 am on Thursday the 21st of April. The Society encourages all RSGB Members to use their vote. Full details of the event can be found on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/agm. A special Pop Up Youngsters On The Air net will be on the air today, Easter Sunday, at 1400UTC. This Pop-Up net is aimed exclusively at youngsters under the age of 25 and encourages them to call in and have a QSO with fellow youngsters on the air. The net controller for the first hour will be Declan, 2W0KYH who is aged 13. The 2nd hour is with Liam, M7LCB. The net is hosted by the FreeSTAR Amateur Radio network, which is a multi-node system where various digital radio modes are accessible including DMR, D-Star, Fusion C4FM and so on. For full connection details please visit freestar.network or email Oscar@freestar.network. The RSGB has just released a short video outlining the new EMF regulations and the help and tools the Society provides for radio amateurs. There is a wealth of information and guidance on the RSGB website and the Society hopes that this video will signpost that in a new way. The video is in the ‘Did you know?’ playlist on the RSGB YouTube channel at youtube.com/theRSGB. The IARU Region Political Relations Committee, in conjunction with the Region’s EMC Committee, has submitted a paper to a recent European Commission Call for Evidence with respect to Solar Energy Strategy. Solar energy systems, which include Solar PV, are a progressive technology whose use is to be encouraged. However, there are certain caveats to be noted in deployment and ongoing use. The IARU concerns are not with solar technology, but with the potential noise pollution from so-called optimisers. The paper that was submitted detailed elements of the ongoing research and monitoring by the EMC Committee in this area. The paper is available on the IARU Region 1 website at iaru-r1.org. As part of the Commonwealth Games activities, RSGB Special Event Stations will be activated from the four UK Home Nations and three Crown Dependencies. The callsigns will take the format of GB22G followed by the Regional Locator, for example, GB22GE, GB22GI or GB22GD. RSGB affiliated clubs and individual RSGB Members who are Full licensees will be able to book slots to activate a callsign themselves or to supervise operation by others. Further details will be coming soon. Radio Amateurs of Canada is supporting World Amateur Radio Day on the 18th of April by encouraging amateurs to get on the air and contact as many Canadian stations as possible. RAC official stations will operate across Canada from 0000Z to 2359UTC on the 18th. Look out for these special event stations with callsigns ending in RAC. Those contacting one or more of these stations will be eligible for a special commemorative certificate. Full details are on their website at rac.ca. The RSGB will be running a special event station at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, starting on the 28th of July. The callsign will be GB22HQ. If you’d like to help operate the station during the Games and talk to visitors about amateur radio, please contact RSGB Region 5 Representative Neil Yorke, M0NKE at rr5@rsgb.org.uk. Due to the location of the station, operators will only be able to access the Games by train. The RSGB and ARRL have been celebrating the centenary of the Transatlantic Tests. The Society has just released a video that highlights the fantastic exhibition put on by the National Heritage Centre in Saltcoats, the 1921 message re-enactment by the Kilmarnock and Loudoun Amateur Radio Club and also the 160m Transatlantic QSO Party. You’ll find the video on the RSGB YouTube channel at youtube.com/theRSGB And now for details of rallies and events Please send your rally and event news as soon as possible to radcom@rsgb.org.uk. We’ll publicise your event in RadCom, on GB2RS, and online. The Cambridge Repeater Group Rally takes place on the 24th of April. The venue is Foxton Village Hall, Hardman Road, Foxton, Cambridge CB22 6RN. Doors open at 9.30 am and admission is £3. There will be a talk in station, trade stands, car boot area and a Bring & Buy. Catering is available on site. More at cambridgerepeaters.net. Also on the 24th is the Northern Amateur Radio Societies Association Exhibition, also known as the Blackpool Rally. It will be held at the Norbreck Castle Exhibition Centre, Blackpool FY2 9AA. More details at narsa.org.uk. The Andover Radio Club Spring Boot Sale is due to take place on the 24th at Wildhern Village Hall, SP11 0JE. It is open at 10 am and is organised by the Andover Radio Amateur Club. Details at arac.org.uk. Now the DX news Braco, E77DX will be active holiday style as 8Q7DX from the Maldives, AS-013, until the 27th of April. He plans to operate on the 10 to 80m bands. QSL via Logbook of The World and E73Y. Michael, DF8AN will be touring the Caribbean until early May. He will be active from Martinique as FM/DF8AN until the 19th of April and again on the 1st and 2nd of May. He will operate as J79MN from Dominica between the 19th and 24th of April. Between the 24th of April and the 1st of May, he will operate from St. Lucia. He will operate mainly CW and digital modes on all bands, including the 6m band. QSLs via DF8AN, direct or via the bureau. Now the Special Event news Look out for GB1BB today from about 5 pm to 7 pm local time around 7.170MHz or 3.770MHz as well as 2m FM simplex and via GB3IW. Operators from the Isle of Wight Radio Society will be on the Bramble Bank in mid-Solent for the few minutes that it is exposed by this weekend’s extreme Spring tide. After the event, the club will QSL direct. QSL certificates will show Gold, Silver, or Bronze Awards. Gold for confirmed contacts with GB1BB on HF, VHF, and UHF; Silver for confirmed contacts on any two of those; and Bronze for a confirmed contact on any one band. Details on iowrs.org. On the 23rd of April Harlow & District Amateur Radio Society will be operating GB0MGY for International Marconi Day. With the kind permission of the National Trust, Weston super Mare Radio Society will be operating GB0IMD from the Old Fort on Brean Down on the 23rd of April, as part of the International Marconi Day celebrations. Flight Refuelling ARS will be operating from the club station using GB2FRA to celebrate the club’s 40th anniversary. It is intended that the callsign will be used on all the bands and modes that are available from the club shack including 10GHz EME. Operations will run throughout April. Medway Amateur Receiving and Transmitting Society will operate GB5MW between the 3rd and 30th of April to celebrate the society's centenary year. QSL via eQSL. Now the contest news On Monday the IRTS 70cm Counties Contest runs between 1300 and 1330UTC. It is followed by the IRTS 2m Counties Contest from 1330 to 1500UTC. Both use FM and SSB and the exchange is signal report and serial number. Please note that Irish stations will also send their county. On Tuesday the 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday, the SSB leg of the 80m Club Championship runs between 1900 and 2030UTC. The exchange is a signal report and serial number. Thursday sees the 70MHz UK Activity Contest run from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The SP DX RTTY contest runs from 1200UTC on the 23rd to 1200UTC on the 24th. Using the 3.5 to 28MHz bands where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number with polish stations also sending their Region code. Running from 1900UTC on the 23rd to 2130UTC on the 24th, the First MGM contest uses the 50 and 144MHz bands. The exchange is your report and 4-character locator. Next Sunday, the 24th, the BARTG Sprint 75 Contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using 75 baud RTTY on the 3.5 to 28MHz bands where contests are permitted, the exchange is the serial number. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Thursday the 14th of April 2022. We had a week with declining solar flux index numbers, but with the ever-present threat of coronal mass ejections. The SFI declined from 101 on Sunday to 96 on Wednesday with the possibility of further falls as the week goes on. A solar filament located near the centre disk of the Sun erupted early Monday morning generating a faint, halo coronal mass ejection (CME) that appeared to be squarely Earth-directed. A moderate (G2) geomagnetic storm watch was added for the 14th and skywatchers at middle to high latitudes were also put on alert for aurora. Meanwhile, the quieter geomagnetic conditions earlier in the week saw 10 metres open up to some good DX. Laurie, G3UML reports a long path opening to Australia on 20m CW from 0730 to 0800UTC. He worked two VK2s and a VK3 and listened to VK5QD who was very loud. Next week NOAA predicts that the SFI may climb again, perhaps into the range of 100 to 110. Geomagnetic conditions are predicted to be generally quiet, but with the ever-present risk of CMEs pushing the Kp index up to perhaps four or five at times. A pair of coronal holes became Earth facing on Thursday as well, which may bring unsettled conditions again this weekend. If the Kp index stays low we can expect MUFs to be near seasonal norms, perhaps with openings up to 21 and even 28MHz at times. Look out for occasional early-season Sporadic-E openings as well, which could bring short-skip openings into Europe on 10 metres. And now the VHF and up propagation news The high pressure over the North Sea and Scandinavia will decline slowly allowing a new area of low pressure over the nearby Atlantic to drift east into southern Britain during the Easter weekend. This will mean that any Tropo benefits, particularly over the Irish Sea and the North Sea will decline during the weekend. The new low will bring areas of showery rain across the country with a chance of rain scatter propagation. This is likely to be a pattern for much of the following week with low pressure over southern areas and occasionally expanding bands of rain farther north. The solar activity has continued to provide aurora options, so again worthwhile checking the clusters and Kp index for early signs of auroral activity. It is also a given that random meteor scatter is always available, especially for those who like to be up early in the morning! The main mode to keep a watch out for during the coming week is Sporadic-E, which is just beginning to make an appearance on 10m and even higher bands using digital modes. Jet streams are important as potential sources of the atmospheric gravity waves that can contribute to Es. You should look to the jet stream 300hectopascal or hPa upper air charts to see where they are located. Try paths that cross them, especially where they cross mountain ranges like the Alps or Pyrenees. Note a hectopascal equals a millibar. The Propquest.co.uk website has a set of four 300hPa charts for the current day and from the beginning of May will also contain a daily blog highlighting that day’s prospects. The Winter minimum of meteor show activity is coming to an end. This week the small daytime April Piscids shower starts on the 20th, and peaks two days later at 2200UTC. This also coincides with the peak of the larger, and currently active Lyrids shower also on the 22nd but earlier at 1300 UTC. With a ZHR of around 18, it should produce some good reflections. Moon perigee is on Tuesday so path losses are at their lowest. Moon declination is negative again and reaches minimum on Thursday so Moon windows will be short and peak Moon elevation low. 144MHz sky noise is high, peaking at over 3000K on Thursday so combined with the low elevations a poor week for especially VHF EME. And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

 GB2RS News Sunday the 10th of April 2022 The news headlines: Youngsters on the Air contest results Celebrate World Amateur Radio Day Use your vote in the RSGB elections The final results of the third round of the Youngsters On The Air Contest in 2021 are now available. They can now be found on ham-yota.com/contest. Throughout the three legs of the contest, the organisers received nearly 700 logs from all over the world, including many from those under the age of 26. In 2022 the three sessions will be taking place on the 21st of May between 0800 and 1959UTC, then on the 23rd of July between 1000 and 2159UTC. The final round takes place in YOTA month, on the 30th of December between 1200 and 2359UTC. On the 18th of April, radio amateurs worldwide take to the airwaves in celebration of World Amateur Radio Day. It was on this day in 1925 that the International Amateur Radio Union was formed in Paris. You can read more about the event and download posters and other publicity material for any special event station you may be planning, from iaru.org. Just a reminder that voting is still open in the RSGB AGM. There are three resolutions to vote for including the endorsement of two Nominated Board Directors. They have been put forward by the RSGB Nominations Committee but it is RSGB Members who choose whether or not to endorse them. The Society encourages all members to read the CVs and personal statements of the Nominated Directors and then follow the voting links to cast a vote. On the RSGB AGM web pages, you can also see the RSGB Report and Accounts and submit a question for the RSGB Board to answer at the online AGM. Go to rsgb.org/agm to find all the information and links you need. Please use your vote. The 2022 Commonwealth Games start on the 28th of July. Over 5,000 athletes will converge on Birmingham and the surrounding area from an estimated 72 hosts to compete over 12 days as part of the Games. The RSGB is organising a number of activities to support the event, including a special event station on the grounds of the National Exhibition Centre. The Society wants to showcase amateur radio to the athletes and public for as much of the Games as possible and will need a large number of volunteers to operate the station and chat with visitors. Due to the location of the station, operators will only be able to access the Games by train and participants will be security checked as part of the accreditation process. If you’d like to help operate the station during the Games, contact RSGB Region 5 Representative Neil Yorke, M0NKE: rr5@rsgb.org.uk. We have received news via Charles, M0OXO from Gennady, UX5UO, the Ukrainian QSL Printer used by many. Gennady says that he is OK and still trading. You can see more at ux5uoqsl.com. The 2nd of April 2022 marked the 40th anniversary of the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands. On that day in 1982, Bob, VP8LP, living at Goose Green, was hearing on a local VHF net that invading troops could be seen in the streets of Port Stanley. He was surprised to find that there was no mention of this by the BBC. Bob spoke to Laurie, G3UML in the BBC Ariel Radio Group radio room in the building next to Broadcasting House. This was probably the first confirmation of the invasion. Bob and Laurie have remained in touch ever since. On the 2nd of April this year, the two friends met up again on the air to relive their contact of 40 years previous, this time using the BBC centenary callsign GB100BBC. A feature about the original contact was broadcast on the 3rd of April during Radio 4’s ‘Broadcasting House’ programme. You can listen back to this via BBC Sounds. Laurie was also the guest presenter on last Tuesday’s RSGB webinar Tonight@8 in which he talked about his historic contact with VP8LP as well the recent reconstruction. You can watch the Tonight@8 presentation at rsgb.org/webinars. Belgium's national society, the UBA, has joined other national Amateur Radio societies in banning amateurs from Russia and Belarus from their contests. See uba.be for full details. And now for details of rallies and events Please send your rally and event news as soon as possible to radcom@rsgb.org.uk. We’ll publicise your event in RadCom, on GB2RS, and online. Today, the 10th of April, the Lincoln Short Wave Club Spring Rally will be at Festival Hall, Caistor Road, Market Rasen LN8 3HT. Entry is £2 per person. The doors open at 10 am or 30 minutes earlier for disabled visitors. There is ample free car parking and refreshments will be available. Free Wi-Fi is available on site. On the 24th of April, the Cambridge Repeater Group Rally will be held in Foxton Village Hall, Hardman Road, Foxton, Cambridge CB22 6RN. Now the DX news Max, ON5UR and Erik, ON4ANN are part of a 15-strong team operating from Svalbard, EU026, between the 19th and 26th of April. There will be five stations on all HF bands in different modes, CW, SSB, RTTY and FT8-FT4. They hope to be the first to activate EU026 on QO-100. More at dx-adventure.com. Jean-Louis, F5NHJ will be visiting Noumea, New Caledonia, OC-032, until the 11th of June. He plans to be active holiday style as FK/F5NHJ and operate CW, SSB and digital modes. The log will be uploaded to Logbook of The World and eQSL. Rick, HC1MD and Maria, HC1MM will be active as HD8MD and HD8MM respectively from Santa Cruz, Galapagos Islands, SA-004, on the 14th of April. They will operate CW, SSB, FT4 and FT8 on the 6 to 40m bands. QSL via Logbook of The World and K8LJG. Bodo, DF8DX will be active as IS0/DF8DX from the main island of Sardinia, EU-024, until the 16th of April. QSL via Club Log's OQRS, via the bureau or direct. A team of three will be active as VK9NT from Norfolk Island, OC-005, between the 14th of and 25th of April. They will operate CW, SSB and FT8 on the 10 to 160m bands. QSL via M0OXO's OQRS. Updates will be posted to VK9NT's page on qrz.com. Now the Special Event news Final preparations for GB1BB are now underway at the Isle of Wight Radio Society. A crew of three young operators will, weather permitting, operate on 70cm through GB3IW; on 2m FM simplex; and on the 80m or 40m band using SSB. This Special Event Station is highly unusual in that it will be established on the Bramble Bank, a sand bar 3km north of Cowes, which is usually underwater. Twice a year, around the times of the Spring and Autumn equinoxes, extreme spring tides uncover the bank and a small island appears for about an hour. Look out for GB1BB around 6 am or 6 pm, on Easter Sunday, Easter Monday, or Tuesday the 19th of April. Activation will occur in only one of those time slots. G4ZUP/MM and G6RTE/MM may well be heard before and after the event. For the latest information and expected operating times, check iowrs.org. Flight Refuelling ARS will be operating from the club station using GB2FRA to celebrate the club’s 40th anniversary. It is intended that the callsign will be used on all the bands and modes that are available from the club shack including 10GHz EME. Operations will run throughout April. Medway Amateur Receiving and Transmitting Society will operate GB5MW between the 3rd and 30th of April to celebrate the society's centenary year. QSL via eQSL. Now the contest news Four contests are scheduled to take place today, the 10th of April. The Spring 50MHz contest takes place between 0900 and 1200UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Next is the UK Microwave group Low Band contest running between 1000 and 1600UTC. Using all modes on the 1.3 to 3.4GHz bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The Worked All Britain data contest runs from 1000 to 1400UTC and from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using the 3.5 to 14MHz bands where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report, serial number and your WAB reference. Finally, the RoLo SSB contest runs between 1900 and 2030UTC. Using SSB on the 3.5MHz band, the exchange is the signal report and the locator you received. On Monday, the FT4 Series of contests runs from 1900 to 2030UTC on the 3.5MHz band. The exchange is your 4-character locator. On Tuesday the 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855UTC. It is followed by the all-mode 432MHz UK Activity Contest between 1900 and 2130UTC. The exchange for both is a signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday it is the 432MHz FT8 Activity Contest running from 1900 to 2100UTC. The exchange is your report and your 4-character locator. On Thursday the 50MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The YUDX Contest runs from 0700UTC on the 16th of April to 0659UTC on the 17th. Full details can be found by searching for YUDX Contest. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Friday the 8th of April 2022. We had another week of high-ish solar flux numbers, but this time we had relatively settled geomagnetic conditions that really allowed the ionosphere to play ball for radio amateurs. The week started well with the SFI above 140, which then declined as the week went on and was at 117 on Thursday. The maximum Kp index was four on Sunday and Monday, which then declined to one and two as the week went on, before going back to four on Thursday. It looks like the faint CME generated by a filament eruption on the 3rd of April did not reach Earth, which was a bonus. A new report from NASA has confirmed that Solar Cycle 25 is racing ahead of the official forecast and the gap is growing. Sunspot counts have now exceeded predictions for 18 straight months. The monthly value at the end of March was more than twice the forecast and the highest in nearly seven years. The Solar Cycle Prediction Panel predicted that Solar Cycle 25 would peak in July 2025 as a relatively weak cycle, but instead, the cycle is shaping up to be stronger. Conditions have been quite good with many reports coming in of DX on the HF bands. John, G4BAO reports that 10m has been rocking this week. There have been daily morning openings to Asia and Australia, plus South America and the Caribbean later in the day. And Chris, G1WSA reports 20m QSOs with N3SJL and then VK7RG. The interesting part is that Chris was only using a short Diamond HF20FX 1.2m whip on a mag mount on his car. Next week, NOAA’s prediction has the solar flux at 115 for most of the time, perhaps rising to 120 as the week progresses. A small Earth-facing coronal hole might spell unsettled geomagnetic conditions this weekend, and NOAA forecasts unsettled geomagnetic conditions for the 11th and 12th with a predicted Kp index of four. So possibly more of the same next week - try to make the most of the good HF conditions. And now the VHF and up propagation news. Last week ended with a cold northerly wind, but with developing high pressure for the weekend a chance of some Tropo, although in cold and often dry air like this, it is rarely very effective. As we move into the new week a slow-moving front drifts across the country from the Atlantic with some rain and perhaps a hint of rain scatter where the front breaks up into showery bursts of rain in southern Britain. The rest of the week will be largely controlled by slack ridges of high pressure, despite a temporary weak front reaching northwest Scotland for a time. The weak ridging probably develops further into the Easter weekend with a region of high pressure over the country. Some models hold the new high farther south over France and may allow further fronts to edge into Scotland. The usual bonuses of random meteor scatter and aurora are still in play given the right circumstances, as is the arrival of some early Sporadic-E as we move into the second half of April. This could be aided by a very busy upper air pattern offering plenty of jet streams, which can be associated with Es formation regions. Check out 10m first and then 6m, especially for data modes. Moon declination is at maximum this weekend and declining as the week goes on, so again, Moon windows are long and peak Moon elevation will be high. Apogee was last Thursday so path losses will decrease throughout the week. 144MHz sky noise is low all week, reaching a minimum of 174K on Monday. And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 3rd of April 2022   The news headlines: Transatlantic tests and Paul Godley lecture Volunteers sought for the NRC MSF signals closed for maintenance   As most listeners will already know, Paul Godley was sent over from the USA 100 years ago to conduct the transatlantic tests. Those tests opened up the era of short-wave radio communication. But why Paul Godley? Who was he, why was he chosen and what happened next? On Thursday the 7th of April, all those questions will be answered in an open Zoom talk by Godley's grandson, Bruce Littlefield. The Zoom meeting will be hosted by Wigtownshire ARC in South West Scotland and will begin at 1900UTC. Everyone is invited, subject to a limit of 100, and joining details will be published closer to the meeting date at www.gm4riv.org. The RSGB National Radio Centre welcomes thousands of people through its doors each month and introduces them to amateur radio. The Society needs to expand the team of volunteers and is particularly looking for people who can be part of the team each Thursday. If you are interested in becoming an NRC volunteer you should enjoy meeting people and be prepared to work a minimum of one, preferably two, days per month. Full training is given. Please email NRC Coordinator Martyn Baker, G0GMB for further information via nrc.support@rsgb.org.uk. A scheduled annual maintenance shutdown of the MSF 60kHz Radio Time Signal service is planned. It will allow safe working on the masts and antennas. The service will be off-air from 0700 to 1700UTC each day between the 4th and 21st of April. The transmission will be restored overnight whenever possible. A radio-controlled clock will not be able to pick up the MSF signal during these periods, so may drift off from the correct time. There have been recently a number of reports of individual holders of UK Amateur licences gaining Innovation and Trial licences from Ofcom. This is to conduct experimental transmissions on 40MHz or the 8m band. The RSGB has asked Ofcom for guidance concerning the status and possible contacts with such stations. Ofcom’s view is very clear. Any operation on 40MHz in the UK is not Amateur radio and therefore cross-band contacts to such stations by UK radio Amateurs operating on the bands licenced for amateur radio are not permitted. You can read the full statement from Ofcom in the RSGB Notices part of the RSGB website at rsgb.org.uk. The RSGB is looking for a Convention Chair to lead the team of people who will create this year's Convention. If you understand the advantages of both online and in-person events and can contribute ideas for speakers and topics that will attract both audiences, this could be the role for you. For a full role description look on the volunteer vacancy page of the RSGB website at rsgb.org/volunteers. BBC journalist and long-time RSGB Member Laurie Margolis, G3UML broke the fact of the invasion of the Falklands through amateur radio. On Monday the 4th of April, he will share how that happened in the RSGB’s free Tonight@8 webinar. He will also cover his involvement in the 1970 King Hussein story. Watch and ask questions live on the RSGB YouTube channel or special BATC stream. Find out more about this and the Society’s other webinars via rsgb.org/webinars On the 18th of April, radio amateurs worldwide take to the airwaves in celebration of World Amateur Radio Day. It was on this day in 1925 that the International Amateur Radio Union was formed in Paris. You can read more about the event, download posters and other publicity material for any special event station you may be planning from iaru.org.   And now for details of rallies and events Please send your rally and event news as soon as possible to radcom@rsgb.org.uk. We’ll publicise your event in RadCom, on GB2RS, and online. The 36th QRP Convention will be held on the 9th of April in Digby Hall, Sherborne DT9 3AA. Doors open at 9.30 am and entry is £3. There are no lectures this year. Please note that car parking charges apply. On the 10th of April, the Lincoln Short Wave Club Spring Rally will be at Festival Hall, Caistor Road, Market Rasen LN8 3HT. Entry is £2 per person. The doors open at 10 am or 30 minutes earlier for disabled visitors. There is ample free car parking and refreshments will be available. Free Wi-Fi is available on site. The next rally in the diary is on the 24th of April. The Cambridge Repeater Group Rally will be held in Foxton Village Hall, Hardman Road, Foxton, Cambridge CB22 6RN. Now the DX news S57MK will be active as 9N7MK until the 23rd of April. He will be operating for three or four days from Kathmandu and then from other locations while trekking in the Mount Everest region of Nepal. He will run 10 to 15 watts mainly on the 40, 20, 17 and 15m bands using SSB, CW and digital modes. Antonio, EA5RM will be working on a non-governmental organisation's project in the Bolivian rainforest until the 22nd of April. In his spare time, he will operate SSB, CW and FT8 as CP1XRM. QSL via his home call. Rune, LA7QY and Helge, LB4MI will be stationed on Jan Mayen, EU- 022, until early October. They plan to operate as JX7QY and JX/LB4MI, respectively, in their spare time.   Now the Special Event news Flight Refuelling ARS will be operating from the club station using GB2FRA to celebrate the club’s 40th anniversary. It is intended that the callsign will be used on all the bands and modes that are available from the club shack including 10GHz EME. Operations will run throughout April. Please keep a lookout for them on all bands. Medway Amateur Receiving and Transmitting Society will operate GB5MW between the 3rd and 30th of April to celebrate the society's centenary year. QSL via eQSL. Brother John Cassar, 9H1CJ is a Franciscan friar operating from the Capuchin friary in Malta, EU-023. Until the 30th of June, he will be active as 9H6CAP, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the destruction of the historic friary and adjacent church during World War Two. QSL direct to home call.   Now the contest news Today, the 3rd sees the Spring 70MHz contest run from 0900 to 1200UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Monday, the CW leg of the 80m Club Championship takes place between 1900 and 2030UTC. The exchange is a signal report and serial number. The 144MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855UTC on Tuesday. It is followed by the all-mode 144MHz UK Activity Contest from 1900 to 2130UTC. The exchange for both is a signal report, serial number and locator. Wednesday sees the 144MHz FT8 Activity Contest run between 1900 and 2100UTC. The exchange is a report and your 4-character locator. Also on Wednesday the UK EI Contest Club 80mtr SSB contest runs from 1900 to 2000UTC. The exchange is your 6-character locator. Four contests are scheduled to take place next Sunday, the 10th of April. The Spring 50MHz contest takes place between 0900 and 1200UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Next is the UK Microwave group Low Band contest running between 1000 and 1600UTC. Using all modes on the 1.3 to 3.4GHz bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The Worked All Britain data contest runs from 1000 to 1400UTC and from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using the 3.5 to 14MHz bands where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report, serial number and your WAB reference. Finally, the RoLo SSB contest runs between 1900 and 2030UTC. Using SSB on the 3.5MHz band, the exchange is the signal report and the locator you received.   Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Friday the 1st of April 2022. Last week we said there was a sense of excitement as it looked like the solar flux index would increase. But even NOAA didn’t predict that it would rise to 156, which it hit on Monday the 28th. Unfortunately, along with high sunspot numbers, we have had unsettled geomagnetic conditions. On Sunday and Monday last week, the Kp index hit four, due to the predicted coronal hole issues. By Thursday the 31st, the effects of an M4/M1 coronal mass ejection event from the 28th of March were being felt. This CME resulted from a pair of sunspots, which combined into one larger shock front. The solar wind speed was above 500km/s and the Bz component of the interplanetary magnetic field shifted south meaning it coupled more easily with the Earth’s magnetic field, pushing the Kp index to five with warnings for middle to high latitude aurora happening. If this wasn’t enough, we have had a number of solar flares to contend with, including an X1.3 event from active region AR 2975 peaking at 1737UTC on Wednesday the 30th of March. This will likely result in a CME coming our way. All this has had numerous effects on HF, from fadeouts from the flares to pre-auroral enhancements from the CMEs and good conditions on 10 metres thanks to the high SFI. A high f0F2 critical frequency has also meant that 40 metres has been open to inter-G signals at times. We are now well and truly in a period where it is getting difficult to predict what will happen next. NOAA predicts that the SFI will remain above 120 for the next few days and then decline into the teens. We think the best advice is to keep an eye on solarham.net and watch out for news of CMEs leaving the Sun. Expect unsettled conditions around 48 hours after news of any CME. But the best advice overall is just get on the bands and work DX whenever you can! We can often expect MUFs to exceed 28MHz at times so make the most of 10 metres when you can, for example, John, G4BAO reports 10m was wide open to Asia on Thursday morning.   And now the VHF and up propagation news. Next week offers a change of wind direction from northerly to westerly with the glimmer of hope for high pressure after the weekend, but it's only a partial nod towards tropo with just a weak, temporary ridge extending across the southern UK from the Azores high. The next items worth mentioning are as in last week’s bulletin; keep your ears and eyes open for aurora, after a promising end to the last week as we write this with fluttery signals on 80m, you should have sorted out some favourite beacons to listen out for. Also, the early mornings can be good for random meteor scatter activity. As we roll over into April we are getting a bit closer to the 2022 Sporadic-E season. There have been some isolated examples on 10m CW/SSB and 6m on data modes, so it's time to start checking the position of jet streams and EPI on the Propquest.co.uk website. The end of last week favoured paths to the south into Spain across a northwesterly jet stream over the Pyrenees and Cantabrian mountains, whereas next week it looks like paths to Scandinavia might be worth a look, although probably a lower probability for these more northern latitudes. Moon declination is positive all week reaching maximum on Friday, so Moon windows and peak Moon elevation will be high. We are past perigee so path losses will increase throughout the week. 144MHz Sky noise is low all week, briefly hitting 500K on Thursday. And that’s all from the propagation team this week.  

GB2RS News Sunday the 27th of March 2022   The news headlines: Giles Read, G1MFG, Silent Key RSGB National Radio Centre re-opens Emergency comms in the Azores   We start with the sad news that the RadCom Technical Editor, Giles Read, G1MFG, has become a Silent Key following a short illness. Since June 2006 he has been an integral part of the RadCom and GB2RS team and will be missed by his colleagues as well as many in the wider amateur circle. An obituary is on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/sk. We will be adding to this web page and sharing a fuller tribute to Giles in the May edition of RadCom. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time. The RSGB is pleased to announce that the National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park will reopen on Monday the 28th of March. It will be open seven days per week as usual. The Society is sorry to have had to close the NRC last week due to a significant number of volunteers suffering from Covid and is grateful for your support of that decision. If you had hoped to visit last week, the RSGB is sorry for any disappointment caused and the volunteers look forward to welcoming you soon. The island of São Jorge in the Azores has suffered over 1800 earthquakes in 48 hours. The Regional Government has prepared contingency plans to protect the island’s population. CT1END, the Emergency Communications Co-Ordinator for Portugal, reports that a group of nine radio amateurs are working to support emergency communications locally and back to Portugal. Radio amateurs are asked to steer clear of 3.75 to 3.76MHz overnight, 7.1 to 7.11MHz during the day and around 14.300MHz for those amateurs outside the region. All radio amateurs are encouraged to listen carefully and avoid causing any interference to emergency operations on those frequencies. More at iaru-r1.org. A brief reminder now. In the UK the clocks went forward 1 hour at 1 am this morning, the 27th of March. Voting in the RSGB 2022 AGM is now open. There are three resolutions to vote for including the endorsement of two Nominated Board Directors. They have been put forward by the RSGB Nominations Committee but it is RSGB Members who choose whether or not to endorse them. The Society encourages all members to read the CVs and personal statements of the Nominated Directors and then follow the voting links to cast a vote. On the RSGB AGM web pages, you can also see the draft accounts and submit a question for the RSGB Board to answer at the online AGM. Go to rsgb.org/agm to find all the information and links you need. Each IARU Region holds a General Conference every three years, timed so that there is one regional conference every year. The reports of past Region 1 Conferences, including the one in 2021, can be accessed via iaru-r1.org. Just go to the How IARU Works in the About IARU section. The annual School Club EU Day activity takes place on the 5th of May between 0800 and 1800UTC. The aim is to make contacts with and among school amateur radio club and training stations as well as school children with their own callsigns. A certificate of participation will be issued for stations that send an excerpt from the log of the day. Search online for Annual School Club EU Day to learn more.   And now for details of rallies and events Please send your rally and event news as soon as possible to radcom@rsgb.org.uk. We’ll publicise your event in RadCom, on GB2RS, and online. There are no rallies in the diary for next weekend. The 36th QRP Convention will be held on the 9th of April in Digby Hall, Sherborne DT9 3AA. On the 10th of April, the Lincoln Short Wave Club Spring Rally will be at Festival Hall, Caistor Road, Market Rasen LN8 3HT.   Now the DX news Peter, DF6QC, will be active as DA0HEL from Helgoland Island, EU- 127, until the 2nd of April. A side trip to nearby Helgoland Dune is also planned when activity as DL0IH will only be during the morning and early afternoon hours. QSL via DF6QC, direct or bureau. Jean-Luc, F1ULQ will be active as TO1Q from Guadeloupe, NA-102, until the 8th of April. He will operate SSB and FT8, and possibly satellites and EME as well. QSL via Logbook of The World, via F1ULQ either direct or bureau or Logsearch on Club Log. Look for Janusz, PJ5/SP9FIH, Roman, PJ5/SP9FOW, Dariusz, PJ5/SP9MQA to be active from Sint Eustatius, NA-145, until the 7th of April. They will operate SSB, CW, RTTY and FT8 on 10 to 40m bands. QSLs via Club Log's OQRS, or via SP9FIH for both PJ5/SP9FIH and PJ5/SP9FOW and SP9MQA for PJ5/SP9MQA.   Now the Special Event news Commemorating the 150th anniversary since the death of Samuel Morse on the 2nd of April 1872, OE0MORSE will be on the air, CW only, throughout April. QSL via Club Log's OQRS, Logbook of the World or eQSL. A certificate will be available. The Isle of Wight Radio Society is planning a rather unusual special event station on a sandbank that only uncovers for a few minutes at extreme low water, twice a year. GB1BB is planning to be active over the Easter weekend, depending upon tide times. Follow the story on iowrs.org. Dennis, G7AGZ / M3DJS is running a project in two parts for the Cornwall Hospice Care organisation. The first part will be a special event station using the callsign GB0CHC that will run throughout April on all bands from 80m to 70cm from home. The second part will be a six-peak challenge that he hopes to complete in twelve days subject to weather conditions. All information is on the GB0CHC qrz.com page.   Now the contest news This weekend the CQ WPX Contest runs for 48 hours, ending at 2359UTC today, the 27th. Using SSB only on the 1.8 to 28MHz bands where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. The Gibraltar Amateur Radio Society will be active as ZB2BU in the contest with a multi-op low power entry. On Monday, the RSGB FT4 contest will run from 2000 to 2130UTC. Using the 80, 40 and 20m bands. The recommended dial frequencies will be 3.576, 3.579 and 3.582MHz, 7.0475 and 14.080MHz. The exchange is signal report and your 4-character locator. On Wednesday the UK EI Contest Club 80m Contest runs from 2000 to 2100UTC. Using CW only the exchange is your 6-character locator. Rules at ukeicc.com. On Saturday, the FT4 International Activity Day will run from 0800 to 2000UTC. Using FT4 on the 1.8 to 28MHz bands, the exchange is signal report and 4-character locator. Next Sunday sees the Spring 70MHz contest run from 0900 to 1200UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Now the radio propagation report was compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Friday 25th of March 2022. We had a good week of HF propagation with moderate solar flux index numbers and generally quiet geomagnetic conditions. The KP index has not been above three, at least by Thursday when this was written. The SFI has been hovering around the 100 mark, which was enough to stir 12 metres into action with occasional 10m openings. A proton storm was detected earlier in the week, courtesy of the LASCO instrument on the SOHO spacecraft. This was as a result of a CME on the far side of the Sun, which was luckily not Earth-directed. We now have a sense of excitement as a new sunspot group is currently turning into an Earth-facing position. Active region 2975, along with a larger Earth-sized sunspot group, appears to be in a growth phase. Both regions will likely be a threat for at least minor C-Class or moderate M-class solar flares over the next week. NOAA predicts the SFI may rise from 98 to perhaps 120 over the next seven days. Geomagnetic conditions are forecast to be unsettled around April 1st with a predicted Kp index of five. A coronal hole became Earth-facing on Thursday so there is also the chance of an elevated KP index and reduced MUFs over the weekend. Finally, with the spring equinox here this is a good time for North-South paths on HF.  Higher-band contacts into South Africa and South America have been prevalent over the last week and should continue for a few weeks.   And now the VHF and up propagation news. Through much of the coming week, we will see the high-pressure system dominating the weather charts and continuing to provide a chance of further Tropo paths on VHF and UHF. In this case, the high pressure will, at times, be centred right over the country and when this happens the temperature inversion may be too close to the ground for longer distance Tropo since it is changes in the refractive index of the air across the inversion that makes Tropo work for RF waves. To avoid problems near the high centre, it is usually better to look for paths around the side of a big high to get the best DX. There are some weather models that try to break down the high later in the week, so make the most of the better conditions when you can. There are still signs of disturbed solar conditions, so there’s always a chance of some aurora to play with, or of course, any random meteors may be worth a check, especially early morning. There are reports of some strong Sporadic-E signals on 10m, so as we move into April it becomes a more regular item on the menu, say for 10m and perhaps 6m on digital modes. Moon declination is increasing and goes positive again on Friday, so Moon windows and peak Moon elevation will increase. With perigee last Wednesday, path losses are low but increase as the week progresses.  144MHz Sky noise is low all week. And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 20th of March 2022   The news headlines: COVID closes the RSGB National Radio Centre British Summer Time starts on the 27th Events to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee   Unfortunately, it will be necessary to close the RSGB National Radio Centre for a week, starting on Monday the 21st of March. A number of NRC volunteers have Covid and the Society doesn’t have enough available volunteers to welcome the hundreds of people who visit each week. The RSGB hopes to re-open the Centre on Monday the 28th of March. Please check the RSGB and NRC websites for updates before travelling. In the UK the clocks go forward 1 hour at 1 am on the last Sunday in March, which is the 27th of March in 2022. This is known as British Summer Time or BST. The clocks don’t change again until the 30th of October. If you are entering contests, please check the times. The RSGB is offering a wide variety of amateur radio activities to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. From special event stations to an innovation competition, a radio tournament and an operating award, the Society hopes there is something for everyone. You can read an outline of each of the activities now and further details will follow shortly. Take a look at the April issue of RadCom or the Society’s website at rsgb.org/jubilee. The RSGB Legacy Fund, thanks to the generosity of donors, has significant financial resources available to encourage and develop amateur radio. The Legacy Committee, which is a subcommittee of the RSGB Board, considers proposals for grants to be given to projects from the Legacy Fund. The RSGB is seeking members to join the Legacy Committee, preferably with experience in grant applications or experience within the charitable sector. For more information or an informal chat, contact RSGB Board Chair, Ian Shepherd, G4EVK via the email chairman@rsgb.org.uk. Now in its twentieth year, SOS Radio Week celebrates the work of the volunteers of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, National Coastwatch Institution and, in 2022, the many independent lifeboat and rescue organisations around our coasts. SOS Radio Week 2022 starts at 0000 UTC on the 1st of May and concludes at 2359 UTC on the 31st of May to coincide with the RNLI’s own Mayday fundraising month. Participants are encouraged to become an official Registered Station and make as many contacts as possible, mentioning the reason for the event during their contacts. For further details please visit sosradioweek.org.uk where you can also register to take part. The RSGB is delighted to be planning an in-person convention again on the weekend of 7-9 October. The Society will also live stream some of the presentations in a new hybrid event format. Please share your suggestions for topics and speakers you'd like to hear at the event by completing the RSGB’s very short survey. The deadline for responses is Thursday the 31st of March. You can find the survey at thersgb.org/go/survey.   And now for details of rallies and events The Callington ARS Rally takes place on the 27th of March. It will be held in Callington Town Hall. A date for your diary. The National Hamfest will take place on the 14th and 15th of October at the Newark Showground NG24 2NY. Please send your rally and event news as soon as possible to radcom@rsgb.org.uk. We’ll publicise your event in RadCom, on GB2RS, and online.   Now the DX news Gianpi, IK1TTD will be active as 3A/IK1TTD from Monaco between the 25th and 27th of March. Main activity will be during the CQ World Wide WPX SSB Contest. QSL via his home call, direct or via the bureau. Helmut, DF7EE will be active again as CT9/DF7EE from Madeira, AF- 014, from the 22nd of March until the 1st of April. This includes participation in the CQ World Wide WPX SSB Contest as CQ3W. QSL for both callsigns via Logbook of The World and Club Log's OQRS. Alex, DD5ZZ will be active again as OA7/DD5ZZ until approximately mid-May, including an entry in the CQ World Wide WPX SSB Contest. He will be operating on the 10 to 40m bands. QSL via his home call and Logbook of The World.   Now the Special Event news Celebrating twenty years of the Summits on the Air programme, GB20SOTA will be active from a Welsh SOTA summit until the 26th of March. QSL via the bureau, or direct to M1EYP. Frans, PC2F will be active as PF01MAX until the 20th of November, over the twenty-two Grand Prix weekends of this year's FIA Formula One World Championship. QSL via PC2F either direct or via the bureau, Logbook of The World and eQSL DARC is the German IARU Member Society and their Special Event Team will activate DA22WARD until the 30th of April in celebration of World Amateur Radio Day on the 18th of April.   Now the contest news This weekend the BARTG HF RTTY Contest ends its 48-hour run at 0159 UTC on the 21st. Using the 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10m bands where contests are permitted. The exchange is serial number and time in UTC. The all-mode SHF UK Activity Contest takes place on Tuesday between 1930 and 2230 UTC. Using the 1.2 to 10GHz bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Thursday, the SSB leg of the 80m Club Championship Contest runs from 2000 to 2130 UTC. The exchange is signal report and serial number. Next weekend the CQ WPX Contest runs from 0000 UTC on the 26th to 2359 UTC on the 27th. Using SSB only, on the 1.8 to 28 MHz bands where contests are permitted. The exchange is signal report and serial number. CQ Amateur Radio magazine has said it will not accept competitive entries in any of its sponsored contests by amateur radio stations in Russia, Belarus or the separatist Donbas region of the Ukraine. Future events will be considered on a case-by-case basis, depending on the situation at that time.   Now the radio propagation report, was compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Friday the 18th of March 2022. Well, what a mixed week of solar activity we have just had. Last week, we forecast that we could expect unsettled geomagnetic conditions over the last weekend but we didn’t expect to see the Kp index hit six. Sunday the 13th saw ground-based magnetometers hit hard with at least 15 hours of unsettled conditions when the Kp index fluctuated between five and six. This was caused by a full halo coronal mass ejection or CME, that was observed coming off the Sun on Thursday the 10th. This had a strongly negative Bz component so more easily coupled with the Earth’s magnetic field. The net result was a decline in MUFs, reports of visible aurora in Scotland and complaints about HF conditions with the ensuing G2 geomagnetic storm. Saturday wasn’t too bad with lots of contacts being made during the early part of the Commonwealth Contest. Twenty-metre contacts with the New Zealand ZL6HQ station were also possible from the UK, although signals were very fluttery. The short path to ZL goes through the North pole auroral zone so it is not surprising that the signals were affected, despite the Kp index being down to one, from five, during the late morning. The solar flux index held firm at 125 on Saturday but was already declining and was down to 107 by Thursday. So, after last weekend’s onslaught, what do we have in store for next week? NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Centre thinks that the solar flux will again decline, from a predicted 115 on Saturday down to 95 on Friday the 25th. The geomagnetic conditions prediction has the Kp index rising to four on Sunday but it may then decline to two by Wednesday the 23rd. The risk of an Earth-facing coronal mass ejection seems to have declined with the decrease in solar activity. So, for once, it looks like a good thing!   And now the VHF and up propagation news. High pressure will dominate the weather charts over the next week or more, centred a long way east over Poland and the Baltic but with a strong ridge extending west towards the British Isles. These large highs are usually associated with a marked temperature inversion and this is a good omen for extensive tropo. This works best if there is moisture below the inversion, so misty low cloud or fog will be a good indicator for better conditions. When the forecast is for dry sunny weather, this usually means that the Tropo may not be so reliable. Paths across the North Sea to northern Europe and into the Baltic region are worth extra attention.  It’s a good time to get together a list of beacons from the region, either from the RSGB website or www.beaconspot.uk and check the various clusters for signs of activity. We are nearly there for the Sporadic-E season, but not quite yet. Aurora and meteor scatter are still worth a look though. The Moon will be waning throughout this week with the lowest declination on Friday/Saturday. However, the path loss is also at a minimum this week, so conditions should be good until the 23rd when the Moon moves into the noisier part of the sky, for several days. The early part of the week should provide opportunities for stations with fixed or limited elevation adjustment, due to the low elevation of the moon. And that’s all from the propagation team this week.  

GB2RS News Sunday the 13th of March 2022   The news headlines: Saint Patrick’s Day stations on the air Read about WRC-23 Looking ahead to international Marconi Day   Saint Patrick’s Day stations will be running from midday on the 16th of March to midday on the 18th of March. For further information and to register as a participating station go to stpatricksaward.com. The International Telecommunication Union, ITU, has released its World Radio Conference-23 booklet. It provides easy access to the WRC-23 agenda and pertinent resolutions. It can be freely downloaded in all 6 languages of the ITU via the IARU Region 1 website at iaru-r1.org. The Cornish Radio Amateur Club will be running this year’s International Marconi Day on the 23rd of April. Anyone wishing to register as an official station should please email crac.imd@gmail.com. The QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo takes place this weekend. Saturday’s lectures start at 1600 and Sunday’s at 1500UTC. The Expo platform will remain open until the 10th of April for viewing presentations on-demand. Go to qsotodayhamexpo.com for more information. GB3YA in Cwmbran is now operational on 145.7125MHz with input 600kHz lower at 145.1125MHz. Initial tests show that stations as far away as Bath and Newbury are able to use the repeater. The repeater keeper says, ‘please, all feel free to use it'.   And now for details of rallies and events Today, the 13th, the Hamzilla Radio Fest takes place at the Discovery Science Park, Gateway House, Ramsgate Road, Sandwich, Kent CT13 9FF. Those who bought tickets and tables for 2021 will have had their bookings carried forward to Hamzilla 2022. Tickets from £3 and tables £12. More at www.hamzilla.uk. The Callington ARS Rally takes place on the 27th of March. It will be held in the Town Hall at Callington in Cornwall. Please send your rally and event news as soon as possible to radcom@rsgb.org.uk. We’ll publicise your event for free in RadCom, on GB2RS, and online.   Now the DX news Paul, G8AFC will be operational from Pereybere on the north coast of Mauritius island as 3B8HE until early April. He will principally use SSB on the 7, 14 and when propagation permits, the 28 and 50MHz bands. Operation will be mostly during the daytime as propagation dictates and occasionally in the evenings. QSL details are on QRZ.com Don, K6ZO will be operating as D60AB [ Pron: Dee Six Zero A B]  from the 16th to the 18th of March from the Comoros islands. QSL direct to his home callsign. Diya, YI1DZ will be transmitting as Z81D from Juba in South Sudan until the 11th of September. Activity will be holiday style. QSL via OM3JW.   Now the Special Event news On Tuesday and Wednesday, Humwick Primary School will be operating GB4HJS for Science Week. On Thursday and Friday, St Andrews Primary School also in Sunderland, will be operating GB2SPS for Science Week. Both stations will operate using data modes on HF as well as using the VHF & UHF bands. More on both of these special event stations from Ian, G7MFN by email to g7mfn@hotmail.co.uk. Two special event stations, GB1900HA and GB1900HW, will run throughout the year to commemorate 1900 years since the building of Hadrian’s Wall. Austin, M0MNE in South Shields and Roy, M0TKF in Hexham will be operating the stations from near Hadrian’s Wall and will be active on the HF and VHF bands in voice, CW and digital modes. QSL via Logbook of the World and Club Log’s OQRS. See QRZ.com for more information.   Now the contest news When operating in any contest, please keep yourself and fellow amateurs safe by following all relevant pandemic-related government rules. For RSGB Contests, until further notice, all logs received from stations located in the Russian Federation or Belarus will be treated as check logs. The second 70MHz Cumulative Contest takes place from 1000 to 1200UTC today, the 13th. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The RSGB Commonwealth Contest ends its 24-hour run at 1000UTC today, the 13th. This is one of the longest-running contests in the HF contesting world. It is CW only on the 3.5 to 28MHz contest bands. The exchange is signal report and serial number. The 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest takes place on Tuesday from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the CW leg of the 80m Club Championships takes place between 2000 and 2130 UTC. The exchange is signal report and serial number. Also on Wednesday, the 1296MHz FT8 Activity Contest runs between 1700 and 2100 UTC. The exchange is callsign and your 4-character Maidenhead locator. Thursday sees the all-mode 70MHz UK Activity Contest take place between 2000 and 2230UTC. The exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Next weekend the BARTG HF RTTY Contest takes place from 0200UTC on the 19th to 0159UTC on the 21st. Using the 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10m bands where contests are permitted, the exchange is serial number and time in UTC.   Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Friday the 11th of March 2022. We may not have had a large number of sunspots this week, but at least the Sun was consistent. We started the week last Sunday with a sunspot number of 116, and by Thursday it was still at 115. This sounds worse than it actually was as there were six sunspot groups active on Thursday, including newly-assigned active region 2965, which is coming into view off the east limb. As we predicted, last weekend was characterised by unsettled geomagnetic conditions with a maximum Kp index of five across Saturday and Sunday. This affected HF a little, but there were still some good UK scores put in for the ARRL DX International SSB contest, with Andy, M0NKR making 812 contacts in just seven hours on 40, 20 and 15 metres. He also reports working many USA west coast stations on 15 metres, which appeared to be the money band. NOAA predicts that next week we will have a decline in solar activity with a predicted solar flux index of 110 falling to 100 by the end of the week. From a geomagnetic point of view, it may be a repeat of last weekend. NOAA says that it predicts a maximum Kp index of four this weekend, then we may have quieter conditions next week. But then it predicts an elevated Kp index the following weekend (19th to the 21st) of up to four again. Finally, don’t forget we have the Commonwealth Contest this weekend, which is a great opportunity to work some choice DX stations with no competition from non-Commonwealth entities - this doesn’t happen very often! And now the VHF and up propagation news. This first weekend sees a continuation of the unsettled weather type, especially in western areas, but there is a large area of high pressure just out of reach over central Europe. This looks as though it could edge towards the eastern side of the UK as we move into the new week and may give some Tropo to the east into the Baltic regions. The problem is that there is a chance of some, much colder, air moving in from the east with a chance of some wintry showers. Although the main feature is likely to be the strength of the winds, bitter cold is not really conducive to good Tropo. The other modes can still play a role, so check the solar data for high K indices, indicating a chance of aurora, as well as the usual early morning random meteor scatter. Perhaps start to dust down your techniques for Sporadic-E as we head into the second half of the month. We are not there yet, but maybe it is worth the occasional look at 10m. The Moon’s declination is positive until next Saturday, and path losses are falling with perigee still more than a week away. 144MHz sky noise is low all week, creeping to just over 300 Kelvin next weekend. And that’s all from the propagation team this week.