GB2RS

RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for November 27th 2022

GB2RS News Sunday the 27th of November 2022 The news headlines: 146 to 147MHz NoV Extension HF DXpedition FundTrustee Required RSGB Convention Presentations Ofcom has agreed to the RSGB request to extend the 146 to 147MHz Notice of Variation for a further year. It is available on a non-interference basis and the NoV is subject to a 30-day notice period of change or withdrawal. Full licence holders can apply for the 146 to 147MHz NoV via the RSGB website at rsgb.org/nov The RSGB assists HF DXpeditions to the rarer countries through a fund that is supported each year from the proceeds of a raffle held at the annual RSGB Convention, as well as income from legacies and donations. The Society is looking to appoint a fifth Trustee for the HF DXpedition Fund who, given the increasing number of applications, will also act as Secretary to the group. Applicants should be enthusiastic HF DXers with an interest in DXCC and IOTA. For further information about the role and how to apply, go to the volunteer vacancies section of the RSGB website at rsgb.org/volunteers The RSGB has released two individual 2022 Convention presentations. In the first, Professor Alwyn Seeds, G8DOH talks about “Building a VHF/UHF Contest Station”. The second presentation is by Hans Summers, G0UPL who explains “The QCX CW transceiver kit story: design, development, five years of production and evolution”. Part of the second presentation was live-streamed during the Convention but you can now watch it all on the RSGB YouTube channel – go to youtube.com/theRSGB and choose the RSGB 2022 Convention playlist. On Saturday 3 December at 1400UTC, AMSAT SA and the South African Radio League are hosting a webinar about Hamprojects. This is a platform to facilitate complex projects that are beyond the possibility of individuals or even one amateur radio society or club. The concept was developed by Willi Vollenweider, HB9AMC as part of the IARU Region 1 Shaping the future of Amateur Radio initiative. During the webinar, Willi will explain Hamprojects in detail and how individual radio amateurs and groups, or amateur radio cubs, can participate or initiate their own projects and attract international participation. The webinar is free to attend and open to anyone who has an interest in technology and a desire to become part of future innovation. Register as soon as possible, as participation is limited to 150 persons, via tinyurl.com/hamrprojects Don’t forget the Transatlantic Centenary Tests event that starts at 0000UTC on Thursday the 1st of December and runs for the whole month. There are awards available for working the special stations and, if you are an RSGB Member and hold a Full Licence, still opportunities to book an operating slot. Go to rsgb.org/tct for full information. And now for details of rallies and events Bishop Auckland Radio Amateur Club Rally will be held today, the 27th, at Spennymoor Leisure Centre, High Street, Spennymoor, County Durham, DL16 6DB. Doors open at 10.30 am for everyone and 10 am for disabled visitors. Admission is £2 and free to under-14s who are accompanied by an adult. Talk-in will be on 2m channel V44. Contact Bob Dingle, G0OCB on 07710 023 916 for further information. The Midlands Round Table event will be held on Saturday the 3rd of December. The day will follow a relaxed schedule with talks aimed primarily at Microwave, Amateur Television, Amateur Satellite and other innovative areas of amateur radio. There will be tables provided free of charge for the junk sale and for any free items attendees wish to give away. The event is being held at Eaton Manor, Eaton-under-Heywood, Church Stretton, Shropshire, SY6 7DH. The event venue will be open from 9 am and proceedings will start at 10 am. Questions and requests should be directed to Paul, G8AQA on 01694 771 441. The Yeovil Amateur Radio Club Rally will be held on Thursday the 29th of December at Davis Hall, Howell Hill, West Camel, Yeovil, Somerset, BA22 7QX. Doors will be open from 9.30 am to 1 pm and admission is £3. Free parking is available. The event will include bring and buy as well as 20 tables for traders. For more information contact Bob on 01963 440 167. Now the Special Event News Leyland and District Amateur Radio Club will be active as GB9LD for Lancashire Day today, the 27th of November. Activity will take place on the 40m to 70cm bands. At 1500UTC the club will read the Lancashire Day Proclamation on HF and toast His Majesty King Charles III, Duke of Lancaster. All are welcome to join in. Enquiries to ladar@mail.com On Thursday the 1st of December, GB1WH will begin operating. The Special Event Station has been established to promote the work done by Wakefield Hospice. For more information, visit the GB1WH QRZ.com page. GB1LJF begins its on-air activities on Thursday the 1st of December. The Special Event Station is operating to celebrate the manufacturing of the English Electric Lightning aircraft in Lancashire. More information is available via the GB1LJF QRZ.com page. Now the DX news Today, the 27th is the last chance to work Alex, K6VHF. He is active as 4L1FP from Tbilisi Georgia. He is operating SSB, CW and FT8 on the 80 to 10m bands. QSL via Logbook of the World, Club Log or directly to K6VHF. Don, K6ZO will be active as 7Q6M from Malawi until the 29th of November. He will be available on the 160 to 6m bands using SSB and CW. QSL via Logbook of the World or directly to K6ZO. Special Event Station CX100B will be active until the 30th of November. The station is operating to celebrate the centenary of the first radio broadcast in Uruguay which took place on the 6th of November 1922. QSL via CX1AA and Logbook of the World. Special callsign ZW200ESQ is active until the 30th of November to celebrate the bicentennial of the Brazilian Navy. Operations will take place from the premises of the Brazilian Naval School’s Communication Group. Activity will be on all bands from 80m to 70cm using CW, SSB, digital modes and FM on satellite. QSL via the bureau or directly to PY1JR. Bob, W7YAQ and Al, K7AR will be active as K8H from Tutuila Island, OC-045, American Samoa until the 1st of December. They will be operating two stations on the 160 to 10m bands. QSL via Club Log, Logbook of the World or via W7YAQ. Now the contest news Today, the 27th, the CQ Worldwide DX CW Contest ends its 24-hour run at 2359UTC. Using CW only on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and CQ Zone. On Monday the 28th of November the RSGB FT4 Contest runs from 2000 to 2130UTC. Using the 80, 40 and 20m bands, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Thursday the 1st of December sees the start of the UK Six Metre Group Winter Marathon. The contest will run until the 31st of January 2023. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report and locator. The ARRL 160m Contest begins at 2200UTC on Friday the 2nd of December and finishes at 1600UTC on Sunday the 4th of December. Using CW only on the 160m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. American and Canadian stations also send their ARRL or RAC section. Next Sunday, the 4th of December, the 144MHz AFS Contest runs from 1000 to 1400UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Friday 25th November 2022 We dodged a bullet last week when a large coronal hole failed to produce a geomagnetic disturbance. Despite many predictions that we could expect an upturn in the Kp index, it looks like the solar wind missed the Earth, probably because the hole was too low in the Sun’s southern hemisphere. As a result the Kp index never went higher than 4, actually 3.67 globally, and things remained calm. This was good news for HF, although a low solar flux index below 120 all week was nothing to get excited about. At the same time, the improvement in low-band conditions, as we head into late Autumn, is making up for it. Top Band contacts have been recorded with 3B8 Mauritius, and Peter, G3PHO has even made it into the USA in the late afternoon on 160m FT8. So, if you’ve never worked much on Top Band, and you have the antenna for it, give it a try. Failing that, try the top end of 80m SSB around sunrise in the UK for contacts with the USA. Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will remain around the 120-125 mark. The good news is that there are no large coronal holes currently visible and there have only been minor C-class flares with CMEs that have not been Earth-directed, so geomagnetic conditions are likely to be good. That is, at least until the 1st of December when we have a predicted Kp index of four, which may disrupt contacts mainly on polar paths. This is good news for this weekend’s CQ Worldwide CW contest, which is a great opportunity for you to up your country totals or for your Worked All States award. Now a footnote for those occasions when the propquest.co.uk graphs are not updating. It can be a local effect at one of the stations, such as Chilton, which has been offline recently. Usually selecting one of the tick boxes in the top right of the graphs will show Fairford or Dourbes when available. However, last week and maybe still, we have a complete blank for all three ionosonde station plots, which is much more likely to be a server issue in the States where the data is hosted. You can check the Propquest server is working by selecting the “Archive” or “Averages” tabs. In any event, the ionosonde data plots will come back automatically once any issues have been resolved. And now the VHF and up propagation news The unsettled spell of weather continues into the first half of next week so could provide some further rain scatter opportunities on the GHz Bands. The broad south-westerly pattern may well switch over to an easterly after midweek as high pressure builds across Scotland. This could bring a return of Tropo for some parts, but looks a bit weak, while the south will continue to be affected by low-pressure systems. It will feel colder, with some models hinting at wintry conditions being a possibility, so wrap up well if you plan to do any portable operation! The Alpha Monocerotids meteor shower noted last week is over but the small November Orionids, active until the 6th of December, reaches its peak on Monday the 28th. Get ready for the big Geminids meteor shower in December. It commences on the 4th reaching a ZHR of over 100 between the 14th and 15th. More about this closer to the shower peak. Moon declination is increasing again and goes positive on Friday. So Moon windows will lengthen and zenith angles will increase. Path losses, on the other hand, start to increase again this week after last Friday’s perigee. We have to wait until mid-2026 before maximum declination coincides with the lowest path loss, but we are moving in that direction again. 144MHz sky noise is low all week, not getting above 300 Kelvin until next Sunday. And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for November 20th 2022

GB2RS News Sunday the 20th of November 2022 The news headlines: December is YOTA Month Transatlantic Centenary Tests 2022 RSGB Construction Competition   December is Youngsters On The Air month. This is an opportunity for individuals, clubs, groups and schools to run an amateur radio station with the aim of getting youngsters active on the air. The RSGB is inviting applications to host the special callsign GB22YOTA. To register your interest email Jamie, M0SDV at yota.month@rsgb.org.uk with details of the activity you are planning. Please include your name, organisation and the callsign of the Full licensee who will host the activation. To see the GB22YOTA activation schedule, visit the GB22YOTA page at qrz.com. The RSGB is hosting the Transatlantic Centenary Tests 2022 on the HF bands for the month of December. Unlike those of the 1920s, which consisted of one-way communication, this event will encourage worldwide two-way communication with UK and Crown Dependency stations. There will be a series of awards available for making QSOs with those who are activating historic RSGB callsigns. The Club Log team has kindly agreed to provide the supporting infrastructure for this. The Society is looking for RSGB members to take part and make this historic event a success. You can read more on page 54 of the December RadCom and be inspired by the RSGB Convention Transatlantic Test presentation on the RSGB YouTube channel. To find out how to take part, go to rsgb.org/tct Do you enjoy amateur radio construction? Would you like to try making something for the first time? The RSGB’s Construction Competition welcomes entries in four categories – Beginners, Construction Excellence, Innovation, and Software. Special recognition will be given to entries submitted by radio amateurs under the age of 24, and to those who have just gained their Foundation licence. A cash prize will be awarded for the winner of each section, with a bonus for the overall winner who will also be declared the winner of the Pat Hawker G3VA Trophy. The deadline for entries is 1 March 2023 so you have plenty of time to construct something during the long winter evenings. To find out more, including how to enter, see the full details on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/construction-competition Most of you will have experienced RF interference problems of one sort or another over the years. In this world of advanced digital technology and increasing wireless connectivity, the probability of interference is high and increasing rapidly. This is giving rise to an ever-increasing pollution of the radio spectrum which is threatening all wireless communication. To counter these problems, the RSGB EMC Committee makes the relevant authorities aware of issues by taking measurements and surveying any available documents and reports. The committee needs volunteers to help with that task. Deep technical knowledge or experience in EMC work is not necessary, but ideally, candidates should have a good understanding of radio. If you are an RSGB member and would like to help, please contact emc.chairman@rsgb.org.uk The RSGB’s National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park will be closed from Tuesday the 22nd of November until Friday the 25th of November for the upgrading of essential equipment and the installation of a new fire alarm system. The Society apologises for any inconvenience this causes. The RSGB’s Examination Standards Committee has published its annual report, covering the operation of amateur radio exams during the calendar year of 2021. Search for Examination Standards Committee on the RSGB website at rsgb.org and you can read the report in the minutes, papers and reports sub-page. The RSGB was saddened to learn that John Bazley, G3HCT passed away on the 11th of November in a nursing home in Queensland, Australia. John was President of the RSGB in 1979 and was a Life Member. In 1995 he was made a Life Vice President. He was also the IARU Region 1 representative to the CEPT Working Group on Frequency Management. Our thoughts are with his family and friends. And now for details of rallies and events The 43rd Coulsdon Amateur Transmitting Society Radio and Electronics Bazaar will be held today the 20th of November. The venue will be Oasis Academy, Homefield Road, Coulsdon, Surrey CR5 1ES. For more information contact bazaar@catsradio.org.uk Bishop Auckland Radio Amateur Club Rally will be held next Sunday, the 27th, at Spennymoor Leisure Centre, High Street, Spennymoor, County Durham, DL16 6DB. Doors open at 10.30 am for everyone and 10 am for disabled visitors. Admission is £2 and free to under-14s who are accompanied by an adult. Talk-in will be on S22. Contact Bob Dingle, G0OCB on 07710023916. Now the Special Event News Leyland and District Amateur Radio Club will be active as GB9LD for Lancashire Day on Sunday the 27th of November 2022. Activity will take place on the 40m to 70cm bands. At 1500UTC the club will read the Lancashire Day Proclamation on HF and toast His Majesty King Charles III, Duke of Lancaster. All are welcome to join in. Enquiries to ladar@mail.com On Thursday the 1st of December, GB1WH will begin operating. The Special Event Station has been established to promote the work done by Wakefield Hospice. For more information, visit the GB1WH QRZ.com page. GB1LJF begins its on-air activities on Thursday the 1st of December. The Special Event Station is operating to celebrate the manufacturing of the English Electric Lightning aircraft in Lancashire. More information is available via the GB1LJF QRZ.com page. Now the DX news Christopher, HB9FIY will be active as ZD7CA from Saint Helena Island, AF-022, until the 26th of November. He will be operating SSB, PSK, RTTY, VarAC and CW on the 40 to 10m bands. QSL via EA5GL. Don, K6ZO will be active as 7Q6M from Malawi until the 29th of November. He will be available on the 160 to 6m bands using SSB and CW. QSL via Logbook of the World or direct to K6Z0. Ed, N2HX will be active as PJ7PL from Sint Maarten, NA-105, until the 10th of December. He will be operating SSB, CW, RTTY and FT8. QSL via his home call. Now the contest news On Thursday the 24th of November, the Autumn Series CW Contest runs from 2000 to 2130UTC. Using CW only on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Tuesday the 22nd of November, the SHF UK Activity Contest runs from 1930 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 2.3GHz band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Next weekend the CQ Worldwide DX CW Contest runs for 24 hours from 0000UTC on Saturday. Using CW only on the 160 to 10m bands, where contesting is permitted, the exchange is signal report and CQ Zone. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Friday the 18th of November 2022. The good HF conditions continued last week with a low Kp index and a reasonable solar flux. But is that all about to change? The problem is a large coronal hole in the Sun’s southern hemisphere, which became geoeffective on Thursday. The hole is at mid-latitude, so is not completely in line with Earth. But its large size means that we could see a strong solar wind, which may hit the Earth this weekend, potentially pushing the Kp index up for a couple of days at least. Sunspots have been adequate rather than outstanding. The main active groups have now rotated out of view, but there are some new ones just appearing over the Sun’s limb. The HF bands have been excellent and many newer amateurs have had their first taste of 10m in full flow. Next week NOAA predicts that the solar flux index could decline to the range 105-115. The Kp index is predicted to rise to four at least until the 22nd. We may then get respite for a day or two before it rises again to three or four. In other words, we have probably seen the best of the settled HF conditions for a while. Just what effect the enhanced solar wind and increased Kp index this weekend will have on maximum usable frequencies is hard to predict. Typically, an increased Kp index can result in reduced MUFs, but whether we will see it impact 10 metres, especially with the predicted lower SFI, we will just have to wait and see. And now the VHF and up propagation news After last weekend’s excellent tropo, with 24GHz propagation from the South East of England to the near continent, we now have a seemingly never-ending period of unsettled weather continuing through the coming week. This is driven by a strong jet stream flow across the Atlantic. Since it’s a low pressure and rain scatter period once again, it’s worth a reminder that, although we are way out of season with regards to Sporadic-E, it can still be seen on the foEs graphs on the Propquest.co.uk website and can be particularly useful for the LF bands. Focusing back on VHF and above, the prevalence of low pressure during the week suggests Tropo is unlikely to entertain us. The only modes remaining to discuss are meteor scatter as we slowly fade from the peak of the Leonids, and finally the prospect of a random aurora if we have further disturbed solar conditions. This week’s active meteor showers are the Alpha Monocerotids which are active until November the 25th and reach a low ZHR maximum on Monday the 21st of November. Also, the November Orionids, are active until December the 6th but don’t peak until the 28th. Moon declination went negative on Saturday so Moon windows will shorten and zenith angles decrease. Path losses are still low but with perigee on Friday, path losses will fall all week. 144MHz sky noise slowly increases, reaching a maximum of over 2,500 Kelvin on Friday. And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for November 13th 2022

GB2RS News Sunday the 13th of November 2022 The news headlines: Transatlantic Centenary Tests A Signal Across Space RSGB Convention Videos   The RSGB is hosting the Transatlantic Centenary Tests 2022 on the HF bands for the month of December. Unlike those of the 1920s, which consisted of one-way communication, this event will encourage worldwide two-way communication with UK and Crown Dependency stations. There will be a series of awards available for making QSOs with those who are activating historic RSGB call signs. The Club Log team has kindly agreed to provide the supporting infrastructure for this. The Society is looking for RSGB members to take part and make this historic event a success. You can read more on page 54 of the December RadCom and be inspired by the RSGB Convention Transatlantic Test presentation on the RSGB YouTube channel. To find out how to take part, go to rsgb.org/transatlantic-tests The Wales Millennium Centre is hosting a 360-degree virtual reality experience inspired by the wireless signals Marconi and Kemp exchanged between Flat Holm Island and Lavernock Point in 1897. Called ‘A Signal Across Space’, the experience takes the audience on a multi-layered journey that includes the history, mythology, language and nature of the area surrounding Lavernock. RSGB Regional Representative Glyn Jones, GW0ANA recorded a talk about Marconi which appears in snippets throughout the piece. In Welsh and English, it runs until the 20th of November and is free but you need to book tickets in advance. Go to www.wmc.org.uk and search for ‘A Signal Across Space’. The RSGB has just released two videos that feature a wide range of interesting interviews that took place at its recent convention. In the first, you can hear from three amateur radio Presidents, RSGB Board members and other volunteers, as well as representatives of the European Space Agency and AMSAT-UK. The RadCom team introduce themselves, Convention attendees explain what they were looking forward to, and the RSGB General Manager and Convention Chair, Steve Thomas M1ACB, talks about the importance of the event. The second video focuses on the RSGB-affiliated special interest groups and introduces RSGB SIG Manager Philip Hosey, MI0MSO. It was great to talk to them all and find out what they do and how you can get involved. You can find both videos in the RSGB 2022 Convention playlist on the Society’s YouTube channel at youtube.com/theRSGB The Bath Based Distance Learning team has helped over a thousand students to pass UK amateur radio exams with pass rates consistently above the national average. Their next course will be for the Intermediate level and it will run from January to May 2023. The deadline for applications is the 7th of December 2022. There will be no charge for the training but students will need to provide their own textbook, scientific calculator, electronic parts and tool kit. As well as weekly work packages via a virtual classroom, there will be weekly online tutorials, revision quizzes and lots of practical exercises to bring the theory to life. Students will also have access to one of the remote tutors who will provide feedback and additional guidance when required. As part of the application process, there will be some pre-course work to ensure students are able to use the online learning systems and ensure they are ready to study in January. To find out more and receive course application details, email Team Leader Steve, G0FUW via g0fuw@bbdl.org.uk  The team will also run a Full Licence course, which will start in August 2023, but a further announcement will be made when that course is ready for enrolment. The RSGB’s National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park will be closed from Tuesday the 22nd of November until Friday the 25th of November for the upgrading of essential equipment and the installation of a new fire alarm system. The Society apologises for any inconvenience this causes. Earlier in the year, the RSGB was approached by the BBC to find experts to contribute to two episodes of its planned series, ‘The Secret Genius of Modern Life’. In this week’s episode, Neil Smith, G4DBN re-created the Great Seal Bug. The RFID technology developed for the bug is what allows contactless card payments to work. You can catch up with the programme on BBC iPlayer. And now for details of rallies and events The Rochdale and District Amateur Radio Winter Rally will take place on Saturday the 19th of November. The venue will be Saint Vincent De Paul’s Hall, Norden, Rochdale OL12 7QR. Doors open at 10 am with entry for £3. The usual traders and caterers will be there and plenty of free parking is available. For more information, contact rozallin@gmail.com or dave@cardens.me.uk The 43rd Coulsdon Amateur Transmitting Society Radio and Electronics Bazaar will be held on Sunday the 20th of November. The venue will be Oasis Academy, Homefield Road, Coulsdon, Surrey CR5 1ES. For more information contact bazaar@catsradio.org.uk Now the Special Event News Leyland and District Amateur Radio Club will be active as GB9LD for Lancashire Day on Sunday the 27th of November 2022. Activity will take place on the 40m to 70cm bands. At 1500UTC the club will read the Lancashire Day Proclamation on HF and toast His Majesty King Charles III, Duke of Lancaster. All are welcome to join in. Enquiries to ladar@mail.com On Thursday the 1st of December, GB1WH will begin operating. The Special Event Station has been established to promote the work done by Wakefield Hospice. For more information, visit the GB1WH QRZ.com page. GB1LJF begins its on-air activities on Thursday the 1st of December. The Special Event Station is operating to celebrate the manufacturing of the English Electric Lightning aircraft in Lancashire. More information is available via the GB1LJF QRZ.com page. Now the DX news Stan, LZ1GC and Ivan, LZ1PM will be active as A35GC from Tongatapu, OC-049, Tonga until the 20th of November. They will operate CW, SSB, RTTY and FT8 on the 160 to 6m bands. QSL via Club Log, Logbook of the World or via the Bureau. Janusz, SP9FIH and Lech, SP9FUY will be active as FJ/SP9FIH and FJ/SP9FUY, respectively from Saint Barthelemy, NA-146, until tomorrow, Monday the 14th. They will be active on the 30, 20, 15 and 12m bands using SSB. QSL via Club Log. Now the contest news The Worked All Europe DX RTTY Contest ends its 24-hour run at 2359UTC today, the 13th. Using the 80 to 10m bands, where contesting is permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Today, the 13th, the UK Microwave Group Low Band Contest runs from 1000 to 1400UTC. Using all modes on the 1.3 to 3.4GHz bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Tuesday the 15th of November, the 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 16th of November, the Autumn Series SSB Contest runs from 2000 to 2130UTC. Using the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Thursday the 17th of November, the 70MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Saturday the 19th of November, the 1.8MHz Contest runs from 1900 to 2300UTC. Using CW only, the exchange is signal report, serial number and District Code. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Friday the 11th of November 2022 Last week was a mixed bag in terms of space weather. Yes, the solar flux index increased to 138 by Thursday the 10th, but at the same time, we had a fast solar wind and a solar flare from active region AR 3141 to contend with. The Kp index hit five on Monday the 7th after a prolonged period with the Bz component of the interplanetary magnetic field pointing south. When the Bz points south it more easily couples with the Earth's magnetic field, allowing solar plasma to flood in. The Bz component of the IMF then shifted north, which helped conditions improve over the week. In fact, the Kp index was down to zero for the latter half of Wednesday and Thursday. With no coronal holes, this was about as good as it could get for HF and the bands didn’t disappoint. The MUF over a 3,000km path reached 38MHz around lunchtime on Thursday. DX worked from the UK including A35GC in Tonga, 7X3WPL in Algeria and P29RO in Papua New Guinea. The KQ2H 10m FM repeater on 29.620MHz is acting like a beacon this Autumn, often hitting S9 plus in the early afternoon. Running 1.5kW from the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York, it is a good indicator of trans-Atlantic conditions. Next week NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will decline a little, placing it in the region of 120. Geomagnetic conditions may remain settled, at least until the 18th when NOAA predicts the Kp index could rise to five. That said, it would only take a solar flare, and associated coronal mass ejection, from one of the large sunspots visible at the moment to spoil things. And now the VHF and up propagation news The main weather theme for this weekend is the very long moist airflow from the Azores to the UK and onwards to western Scandinavia. Because high pressure will be just to the east of the UK at first this will probably lead to some potentially long-range Tropo conditions from western Europe down to the Canaries and Spain/Portugal. A cold front will probably cut the Azores out of the best conditions. However, we should also be able to make use of good conditions into Europe and particularly across the North Sea to southern Scandinavia and perhaps parts of the Baltic. All this is fine until the next change-over to unsettled weather rolls in from the Atlantic on Monday night and during Tuesday. After then, it will be windy with rain or showers and a small chance of some fast-moving rain-scatter from heavy showers. The Leonids meteor shower peaks on Thursday the 17th, plus expect an encounter with a dust trail on November the 19th. It’s predicted to occur at around 0600UTC with a short-lived high ZHR between 50 and 200, but activity level is uncertain. This is a good week to check out meteor scatter options and there have continued to be some occasional reminders that the solar conditions are capable of sending some higher Kp indices our way with an attendant chance of auroral conditions, so stay alert to the Kp index values. The Moon is at maximum declination so we have long Moon windows and zenith angles up to 65 degrees in the UK. Path losses are still low but with apogee today, path losses are at their highest. 144MHz sky noise is low all week. And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for November 6th 2022.

  GB2RS News Sunday the 6th of November 2022 The news headlines: Next RSGB Tonight@8 Webinar RSGB Annual General Meeting RSGB Morse Test Coordinator   The next RSGB Tonight@8 webinar will be live-streamed on Monday the 7th of November at 8 pm. Terry, G4POP, will present ‘Log4OM: The first decade’ – a look at the popular free logging software Log4OM. Suitable for all levels of expertise, Terry’s talk will consider the software’s history, its developers and its in-built features. There will be a live demonstration and a chance to ask questions. Tonight@8 webinars are live-streamed on BATC and on the RSGB YouTube channel. For more information about all RSGB webinars go to rsgb.org/webinars The RSGB has announced that its 96th AGM will take place on Saturday the 15th of April 2023. Full details of the AGM, the voting process and the calling notice will appear in the April 2023 issue of RadCom. In the coming weeks, the Society will publish details of the roles that will form part of the elections and how you can get involved. The RSGB has appointed Eric Arkinstall, M0KZB as its Morse Test Coordinator. Eric has been interested in electronics since he was young and he built his first crystal set when he was about 11 years old. Eric now teaches Morse code on the air each week. For further information about Morse and the Morse test, see the RSGB website at rsgb.org/morse Amateur Radio Digital Communications is a private foundation that exists to support amateur radio and digital communication science and technology. It has two standing committees for which it seeks volunteers each year: the Technical Advisory Committee and the Grants Advisory Committee. Applications should be received by the 12th of November 2022. International applications are welcome. Details of how to apply can be found under the News tab at ampr.org The Bath Based Distance Learning team has helped over a thousand students to pass UK amateur radio exams with pass rates consistently above the national average. Their next course will be for the Intermediate level and it will run from January to May 2023. The deadline for applications is the 7th of December. There will be no charge for the training but students will need to provide their own textbook, scientific calculator, electronic parts and tool kit. As well as weekly work packages via a virtual classroom, there will be weekly online tutorials, revision quizzes and lots of practical exercises to bring the theory to life. Students will also have access to one of the remote tutors who will provide feedback and additional guidance when required. As part of the application process, there will be some pre-course work to ensure students are able to use the online learning systems and ensure they are ready to study in January. To find out more and receive course application details, email Team Leader Steve, G0FUW via g0fuw@bbdl.org.uk The team will also run a Full Licence course, which will start in August 2023, but a further announcement will be made when that course is ready for enrolment.   And now for details of rallies and events The Holsworthy Radio Rally will take place today Sunday the 6th of November, at Holsworthy Leisure Centre, Well Park, Western Road, Holsworthy, Devon EX22 6DH. There will be traders, a bring-and-buy sale and catering. The venue has disabled access. Doors open for traders at 8 am and to the public at 10. For more information email m0omc@m0omc.co.uk Now the Special Event News On Thursday the 1st of December, GB1WH will begin operating. The Special Event Station has been established to promote the work done by Wakefield Hospice. For more information, visit the GB1WH QRZ.com page. GB1LJF begins its on-air activities on Thursday the 1st of December. The Special Event Station is operating to celebrate the manufacturing of the English Electric Lightning aircraft in Lancashire. More information is available via the GB1LJF QRZ.com page. Now the DX news Today, the 6th is the last chance to catch Eiki JH8JWF operating as 5R8AS from Madagascar, AF-013. Eiki will be operating using SSB. QSL via Logbook of the World and Club Log. A team of operators will be active as P29RO from Loloata Island, Papua New Guinea, OC-240, until the 10th of November. They plan to operate the 160 to 6m bands using CW, SSB, RTTY and FT8. QSL via the bureau, Club Log or directly to DL4SVA. PA900UTR will be active until the 11th of November on various bands and modes. The station is operating to celebrate the 900th anniversary of Utrecht being granted city rights in 1122. QSL via the bureau to PI4UTR. Now contest news Today, the 6th, the 144MHz CW Marconi Contest ends its 24-hour run at 1400UTC. CW only, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Tuesday the 8th of November, the 432MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also on Tuesday the 8th, the 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 1955UTC. The exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Wednesday the 9th of November, the FT8 Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. The exchange is a report and a four-character locator. On Thursday the 10th of November, the 50MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Next weekend the Worked All Europe RTTY Contest runs for 24 hours from 0000UTC on Saturday the 12th. Using the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are allowed, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Sunday the 13th of November, the UK Microwave Group Low Band Contest runs from 1000 to 1400UTC. Using all modes on the 1.3 to 3.4GHz bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO They write, we had yet another week of good HF propagation, despite a strong solar wind that threatened to push the geomagnetic Kp index up, but it generally never managed more than a four in the first half of the week. The solar flux index managed to hit 130 on Thursday, having been in the 120s all week, but the sunspots have been quite weak and small. On Thursday the Kp index rose again, hitting five due to the enhanced solar wind from an Earth-facing coronal hole. Nevertheless, the Fairford Digisonde registered a critical frequency of 9.925MHz, giving a maximum useable frequency in excess of 35MHz over a 3,000km path around lunchtime. This may have been a pre-auroral enhancement as it didn’t last very long – the MUF was soon down to 28.8MHz. Please note the Chilton Digisonde has been down again, so if this continues please switch to Fairford at Propquest.co.uk. The upper HF bands have been very lively with much DX being worked. 5V7RU Russian DXpedition team in Togo have made it into many logs, as has J28MD team in Djibouti. Transatlantic 10m signals remain very strong during the daylight, reflecting the good HF propagation at this point in the year, switching to South America as the Sun is setting. Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will probably remain in the 120s. It also predicts unsettled geomagnetic conditions on the 10th, 11th and 12th when the Kp index may once again rise to five. If you have been putting off getting onto HF you are really missing out! Now the VHF and up propagation news. The unsettled weather pattern is still the dominant story for the coming week with a series of lows either across the country or sitting over the nearby Atlantic, bringing periods of rain and strong winds and showery interludes in between. This raises the issue of rain scatter for another week on the GHz bands. There are probably just two periods with ridges of higher pressure. The first crosses the country on Friday night at the start of the week and the second develops over the English Channel at the end of next week, so limited Tropo options once again. November is a good month for meteor scatter with the Leonids shower starting today and peaking around the 16th. Expect some increasing signs of meteor scatter activity as the week progresses. The solar conditions continue to provide coronal holes and the prospect of geomagnetic storms, so keep a watch on the Kp index, with a high index warning of auroras. As for Sporadic-E, we are in the doldrum month of November which rarely provides anything dramatic, but the usual procedure of monitoring the foEs graphs on Propquest should reveal what's happening. Moon declination is positive again with Moon windows lengthening as the week progresses. Path losses are still low but increasing and apogee is still over a week away. 144MHz sky noise is low in the coming week. And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for October 30th 2022.

GB2RS News Sunday the 30th of October 2022 The news headlines: RSGB Construction Contest RSGB ICQ Podcast Interviews Next RSGB Tonight@8 Webinar   The RSGB has launched this year’s construction competition. To enable members across the country, and even the world, to take part, entries will be judged over the internet rather than in person. There are four categories – Beginners, Construction Excellence, Innovation, and Software – and the deadline for entries is the 1st of March 2023. Special recognition will be given to entries submitted by radio amateurs under the age of 24, and to those who have just gained their Foundation licence. A cash prize will be awarded to the winner of each section, with a bonus for the overall winner who will also be declared the winner of the Pat Hawker G3VA Trophy. To find out more, including how to enter, see the full details on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/construction-competition The RSGB President Stewart Bryant, G3YSX and General Manager Steve Thomas, M1ACB were interviewed by ICQ Podcast at the National Hamfest. Steve talked about this year’s first hybrid RSGB Convention which brought hundreds of people together again. The two days of live stream content is still attracting thousands of views from radio amateurs across the world. The President discussed the RSGB’s international and standards work with the IARU, as well as the need to use and protect the spectrum. You can find Episode 388 at icqpodcast.com and the RSGB interview starts at one hour, thirty minutes and fifty-two seconds. The next RSGB Tonight@8 webinar will be live-streamed on Monday the 7th of November at 8 pm. Terry, G4POP, will present ‘Log4OM: The first decade’ – a look at the popular free logging software Log4OM. Suitable for all levels of expertise, Terry’s talk will consider the software’s history, its developers and its in-built features. There will be a live demonstration and a chance to ask questions. Tonight@8 webinars are live-streamed on BATC and on the RSGB YouTube channel. For more information about all RSGB webinars go to rsgb.org/webinars The RSGB VHF Contest Committee is currently planning the rules for next year’s VHF contests. Following some discussion at the RSGB Convention, they have some questions on which they would appreciate feedback from contestants. You can find the survey online at thersgb.org/go/vhf2023. The survey will close on Sunday the 13th of November. The RSGB is sad to learn of the passing of Richard Brunton, G4TUT. For countless years, Richard was editor of the popular Southgate Amateur Radio News website. Every single day, he searched the world’s amateur radio and technology resources for stories of interest and published them. Richard offered his platform inclusively, commissioning non-commercial podcasts and blogs to promote opinion alongside conventional news items. He also compiled the ‘CQ Serenade’ weekly programme which was broadcast throughout Europe on Shortwaveradio.de and other public-facing media. Richard was an intensely private man who had no close family, but he reached thousands of friends daily through his website. Amateur radio has lost a true communicator. And now for details of rallies and events Scotland’s biggest Rally for this year is being held in Galashiels today the 30th of October. The Rally takes place at the Volunteer Hall, St John Street, Galashiels. Admission is £2.50 per person, with free entry for those under 16s. Doors open for general admission at 11 am with disabled and accessible entry and early book-in of bring-and-buy items at 10.45 am. There will be an RSGB bookstall and catering is available on the site. The Hack Green Radio Surplus Hangar Sale takes place today, the 30th, at Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker, Nantwich, Cheshire CW5 8AL. The event will include the sale of electronic equipment, amateur gear, components, military radio items and vehicle spares. Doors open at 11 am. For more details visit www.hackgreen.co.uk The British Vintage Wireless Society’s Golborne Swapmeet will take place today the 30th of October. The venue is Golborne Parkside Sports and Community Club, Rivington Avenue, Golborne, Warrington, Cheshire WA3 3HG. Doors open at 10 am with stallholder entry from 9.30 am. Contact Mark Ryding via markryding100@hotmail.co.uk for additional information. Holsworthy Radio Rally will take place next Sunday, the 6th of November, at Holsworthy Leisure Centre, Well Park, Western Road, Holsworthy, Devon EX22 6DH. There will be traders, a bring-and-buy sale and catering. The venue has disabled access. Doors open for traders at 8 am and to the public at 10 am. For more information email m0omc@m0omc.co.uk Now the Special Event News The Norfolk Tank Museum Radio Group near Long Stratton has been granted the permanent special callsign of GB2NTM and will be on the air for the last day of the Museum’s 2022 season from 11 am until 5 pm today, the 30th of October. Operation is planned on 80, 40 and 20m plus 70.450MHz FM using radios from the museum’s collection. More details via the QRZ.com page for GB2NTM. Now the DX news Bill, K9HZ will be active as J68HZ on Saint Lucia, NA-108, until the 5th of November. He will be available for contact during the CQ Worldwide DX SSB Contest. QSL via Logbook of the World, eQSL, Club Log or directly to K9HZ. Take, JI3DST will be active from Shodo Island, AS-200, until the 4th of November. He will be using SSB and CW. He will operate as JI3DST/5, JJ5RBH and JS6RRR/5 as well as JS6RRR/P on FT8. QSL via Logbook of the World and Club Log. Tjeerd PE1OJR will be active as PJ4TB from Bonaire, SA-006, until Monday the 31st of October. He will be operating on the 40 to 6m bands using SSB and FT8. QSL via Logbook of the World and Club Log. HB175RAIL will be active until the 31st of October to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Swiss Railways. Multiple bands and modes will be in operation and a number of certificates will be available. QSL via Logbook of the World. OR1050HERZ will be active until the 31st of October to mark the 1,050th anniversary of the foundation of the town of Herzele in the Belgian province of Flanders. Activity will be on all bands and modes. QSL via the bureau. Now the contest news Today, the 30th, the CQ Worldwide DX Contest ends its 24-hour run at 2359UTC. Using SSB only on the 1.8 to 28MHz bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and CQ Zone. On Tuesday the 1st of November, the Silent Key Memorial Contest runs from 0600 to 0900UTC. Using CW only on the 80 and 40m bands, the exchange is a signal report and a Silent Key callsign. On Wednesday the 2nd of November, the UKEICC 80m Contest runs from 2000 to 2100UTC. Using SSB only on the 80m band, the exchange is a six-character locator. Next weekend, the 144MHz CW Marconi Contest runs for 24 hours from 1400UTC on Saturday. Using CW only, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Friday the 28th of October 2022 Good conditions on HF have continued with only a short geomagnetic disturbance to dull things a little. The planetary Kp index got up to five on the 25th, due to plasma from a geo-effective coronal hole, but luckily it recovered quite quickly. Two days later it was back to one and the upper HF bands came alive again. The ionosphere was disturbed on the 23rd and 24th, with the MUF over a 3,000km path dipping in and out of the 10m band. But by the 25th things were pretty much back to normal. The solar flux index dropped down to 105 on the 22nd but recovered a little to end at 122 on Thursday. It has once again been a good week for 10m with openings to the US being commonplace. This is a good opportunity to up your Worked All States score with the 14, 18 and 21MHz bands remaining open long after sunset. 28MHz is also shining during daylight hours. Other notable contacts were AH7C Hawaii on 10m FT8 long path by Darren, G0TSM. Darren also worked P29RO, the German DXpedition to Papua New Guinea, on all bands from 18 to 28MHz. Next week NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will remain in the 100-118 range. Unfortunately, the Kp index is expected to rise to five on Saturday the 29th due to an enhanced solar wind stream from a trio of coronal holes on the Sun’s equator. This may no doubt impact conditions for the CQ Worldwide Phone Contest this weekend. NOAA thinks the unsettled conditions could linger until Thursday, November the 3rd when the Kp index may return to two. And finally, please note that the data feed from the Chilton Digisonde has not been reliable this week. To circumvent this, on Propquest.co.uk we recommend selecting FF051 Fairford to maintain the graphs. And now the VHF and up propagation news The autumnal weather remains in control and the basic pattern changes very little over the coming week. This places low pressure to the southwest of the British Isles and a mild south-westerly wind bringing periods of rain as fronts cross the country with intervening spells of showery weather in between. The result of all this for VHF and UHF propagation is that rain scatter continues to have a look-in on the GHz bands. But this is very little comfort for tropo operators since high pressure does not really feature at all in the coming week, other than occasional weak transient events alongside weather fronts. The ever-present chances of aurora are always a possibility, so keep up to date with VHF cluster reports of current activity levels to ensure you don’t miss out on any openings. The Propquest.co.uk graphs have shown isolated occasions with Sporadic-E recorded on the foEs plots, so always worth a check on 10m and 6m for strong short skip European signals, especially on digital modes. Random meteor scatter in the hours around dawn is always a banker for propagation and we are still in the tail end of the Orionid and Leonis Minoris showers to add to the mix. Next Sunday, the 6th, marks the onset of the big Leonids shower, peaking around the 16th. With the Moon at minimum declination this weekend, Moon windows will be short but lengthening as the week progresses. Perigee was yesterday, Saturday, so path losses are at their lowest. 144MHz sky noise is low in the coming week. And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for October 23rd 2022.

GB2RS News Sunday the 23rd of October 2022 The news headlines: RSGB Tonight at 8 Webinar EMF Assessments Ofcom Preparations for WRC-23 The next RSGB Tonight at 8 Webinar will be live-streamed on Monday the 7th of November at 8pm UK local time. Terry, G4POP will present ‘Log4OM: The first decade’ – a look at the popular free logging software Log4OM. Suitable for all levels of expertise, Terry’s talk will consider the software’s history, its developers and its in-built features. There will be a live demonstration and a chance to ask questions. Tonight @ 8 webinars are live-streamed on youtube.com/theRSGB As of the 18th of November 2022, all UK amateurs are required to have conducted EMF assessments for all the bands they use. The RSGB provides an assessment app which can be found at rsgb.org/emf. This app includes many current antennas. However, if you have one you feel should be added, please email details of the antenna, with a web link if possible, to George, MM0JNL at: dr16@rsgb.org.uk Over the period June to September 2022, Ofcom consulted on UK provisional views and positions as part of the preparations for WRC-23, the next ITU World Radio Conference. The RSGB has made a comprehensive reply and its volunteers continue to engage actively in national and international preparations. Topics of relevance to amateurs include 50MHz, 1.3GHz and many other amateur allocations from LF to Millimetre Waves. To find out more, visit rsgb.org/wrc-23 December is Youngsters On The Air month. This is an opportunity for individuals, clubs, groups and schools to run an amateur radio station with the aim of getting youngsters active on the air. The RSGB is inviting applications to host the special callsign GB22YOTA. To register your interest email Jamie, M0SDV at yota.month@rsgb.org.uk with details of the activity you are planning. Please include your name, organisation and the callsign of the Full licensee who will host the activation. To see the GB22YOTA activation schedule, visit the GB22YOTA page at qrz.com And now for details of rallies and events Scotland’s biggest Rally for this year is being held in Galashiels on Sunday the 30th of October. The Rally takes place at the Volunteer Hall, St John Street, Galashiels. Admission will be £2.50 per person, with free entry for those under 16. Doors open for general admission at 11 am with disabled and accessible entry and early book-in of bring-and-buy items at 10.45 am. There will be an RSGB bookstall and catering is available on the site. The British Vintage Wireless Society’s Golborne Swapmeet will take place on Sunday the 30th of October. The venue will be Golborne Parkside Sports and Community Club, Rivington Avenue, Golborne, Warrington, Cheshire WA3 3HG. Doors open at 10 am with stallholder entry from 9:30 am. Contact Mark Ryding via markryding100@hotmail.co.uk for additional information. Bishop Auckland Radio Amateurs' Club is pleased to announce that its annual radio rally has returned after a break. This premiere north-eastern rally will take place at Spennymoor Leisure Centre on Sunday the 27th of November. The usual selection of traders and other stalls will be at the rally. Parking for visitors can be found at the leisure centre or nearby. The postcode for Satnavs is DL16 6DB. Traders who have reserved tables should have received their information already. If you are a trader or wish to book a table then please see the website www.barac.org.uk/rally/traders for more information or contact G0OCB at bdingle@hotmail.co.uk. There are spaces left for the rally but they are selling out fast. Now the Special Event News The Norfolk Tank Museum Radio Group near Long Stratton has been granted the permanent special callsign of GB2NTM and will be on the air for the last day of the Museum’s 2022 season from 11 am until 5 pm on the 30th of October. Operation is planned on 80, 40 and 20m plus 70.450MHz FM using radios from the museum collection. More details via the QRZ.com page for GB2NTM. Now the DX news Peter, PD1EDS will be active as PD146EU from Schouwe Duiveland, EU-146, until the 30th of October. He will operate SSB and FT8 on 40, 20 and 10m. QSL via QRZ.com. Berkin, TA3J plans to be active as TA3J/0 from Yassica Island, AS-099, on Saturdays and Sundays until the 31st of October. He will operate SSB, CW, RTTY and FT8 on the 80 to 10m bands. QSL via Club Log and Logbook of the World. HB175RAIL will be active until the 31st of October to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Swiss Railways. Multiple bands and modes will be in operation and a number of certificates will be available. QSL via Logbook of the World. OR1050HERZ will be active until the 31st of October to mark the 1,050th anniversary of the foundation of the town of Herzele in the Belgian province of Flanders. Activity will be on all bands and modes. QSL via the bureau. Now the contest news On Tuesday the 25th of October, the SHF UK Activity Contest runs from 1830 to 2130UTC. Using the 2.3 to 10GHz bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The UKEICC DX Contest ends its 24-hour run today at 1200UTC. It is an SSB-only contest on the 3.5 to 28MHz bands, where contests are permitted. The exchange is a signal report and serial number. UK and Irish stations also send their District Code. On Wednesday the 26th of October, the UKEICC 80m Contest takes place between 2000 and 2100UTC. Using CW only, the exchange is a six-character locator. Next weekend, the CQ Worldwide DX Contest runs from 0000 on Saturday to 2359UTC on Sunday. Using SSB only on the 1.8 to 28MHz bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and CQ Zone. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Friday the 21st of October 2022 We had another great week of HF propagation, helped no doubt by a very low geomagnetic Kp index meaning the ionosphere remained settled. Despite the solar flux index declining to 113 by Thursday, 10m has been highly active with openings every day. We have had good daily 10m openings, even out as far as the west coast of the USA for well-equipped stations. Next week NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will continue to remain in the 110-120 range. This is not extreme but would be enough for good propagation on all of the upper HF bands if we don’t have any geomagnetic disturbances. A rather large coronal hole is rotating into view and should become Earth-facing on the 21st. This is fairly low on the Sun’s face so might not impact us as badly as a coronal hole on the solar equator would. But, nevertheless, its size suggests that any disturbance might be long-lived. If so, expect its plasma to hit Earth late Saturday or Sunday. NOAA also predicts that the Kp index will rise on Wednesday the 26th of October with the index rising to five. Quite what will cause this is unclear, although it could be the return of an active region that took the Kp index to six 27 days ago. Once that clears, we may expect good conditions on 10m to hopefully continue, so make the most of them. And now the VHF and up propagation news The current transition to changeable autumnal conditions is fully complete and proving very difficult to shift. This means that the breezy unsettled weather with low-pressure systems pushing fronts across the country will continue during the period. This may produce some rain scatter options, although it's not a big 'shout-out' compared to the intense thunderstorms of high summer. There will be some high pressure nearby over the continent, but it’s not likely to be a big Tropo player and remains largely out of reach from the UK. One minor meteor shower, the Leonis Minorids peaks on Tuesday the 24th of October, but the ZHR is low. Aurora could crop up on occasion during the coming week and, after recent activity levels on 6m, there is still a chance of Sporadic-E. This recent activity just shows that we should probably learn to regard it as an option, especially on FT8, even in the nominal ‘close season’ for Es. Moon declination goes negative today, Sunday, so Moon windows continue to shorten as the week progresses. With perigee next Saturday, path losses will fall throughout the week. 144MHz sky noise starts low, but there is a partial solar eclipse on Tuesday the 25th so that day will be an EME washout. After the eclipse, the noise rises slowly from 380K to around 3000K next Saturday, making it a noisy week for EME. And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for October 16th 2022.

GB2RS News Sunday the 16th of October 2022 The news headlines: IARU President Keynote Speech at the 2022 RSGB Convention Celebrating 100 Years of the BBC New Transponder Bandplan for QO-100 Last weekend the RSGB held its first hybrid Convention which had speakers, attendees and live stream watchers from across the world. The keynote presentation by IARU President Tim Ellam, VE6SH, who also holds the callsign G4HUA, was very thought-provoking. In it, he highlighted the threats to amateur radio as well as the importance of embracing modern techniques, whilst also being willing to adapt and change. The Society has released a standalone recording of Tim’s presentation on its YouTube channel, combined with his interesting Convention Chat with the RSGB and IRTS Presidents. The RSGB would like to thank everyone who gave a presentation, as well as those who attended the Convention, whether in person or online. It is also grateful to the RSGB General Manager and Convention Chair Steve Thomas, M1ACB and his hard-working Convention team who made this such a fantastic event. Individual presentations will be released over the coming months, first on the RSGB website for its members and then on YouTube for everyone to see. The two live streams have already had thousands of views – to see either of those or to watch Tim’s keynote speech, go to youtube.com/theRSGB On the 18th of October 1922, the Marconi Company and other equipment manufacturers formed the British Broadcasting Company, which became the British Broadcasting Corporation six years later. To mark this momentous date exactly 100 years on, members of the BBC Amateur Radio Group have been invited by Arqiva to operate for the day at the Daventry transmitting station that was home to so much of BBC short-wave broadcasting over the years. Members of the BBC and Arqiva clubs will be operating HF on Tuesday the 18th of October from the Empire Service Building at the Daventry site. As well as GB100BBC, the callsign G2LO will be on air. 2LO was the callsign allocated to the very first BBC transmitter, built by Marconi and located at Savoy Hill in London. Keep an eye on the GB100BBC QRZ page for more information. At the 2022 AMSAT-UK Colloquium on Saturday 8th October, a new narrowband transponder bandplan for the QO-100 geostationary amateur satellite was announced. Among other changes, AMSAT has allocated a new ‘broadcast’ spot frequency which is intended for the news services of amateur radio organisations. The RSGB’s news service GB2RS has been transmitted via QO-100 for some time and has already clocked up 70 broadcasts. It is very popular, with an audience within the footprint of the satellite which covers almost half of the world’s surface. Following this announcement, GB2RS will be moving to the new broadcast frequency of 10489.855MHz with immediate effect. The transmission is at 0800UTC every Sunday. Perhaps in the future, the news services of other amateur radio organisations will follow the RSGB’s lead and make use of this special allocation to reach a diverse international audience. Jamboree On The Air is an annual event in which Scouts and Guides all over the world communicate with each other via amateur radio. JOTA 2022 ends its 48-hour run at 2359UTC today, the 16th. You can find out more at jotajoti.info The Royal Air Force Air Cadets will be running the popular Blue Ham Exercise on the 22nd and 23rd of October from 0800 to 1800UTC each day. If you are a UK Full licence holder the hope is that you can set some time aside to take part with the Cadets and Staff Volunteers who will be ready to take your QSOs over the operating period. A Blue Ham participation certificate for amateur operators who contact 20 or more special MRE call signs will be available. Details are on the alphacharlie.org.uk portal. And now for details of rallies and events Today, the 16th, the Hornsea Amateur Radio Club Rally will take place at the Driffield Showground YO25 9DW. More information at hornseaarc.co.uk Next Saturday, the 22nd of October, the Essex CW Boot Camp and CW Convention take place. The venue will be the 3rd Witham Scout and Guide Headquarters, Powers Hall End, Witham, Essex. Doors open at 8.30 am for registration and the event will run until 4.30 pm. Entry is £10 and parking is free. Free drinks and cakes will be available. If you would like to register, please email G0IBN@yahoo.com The British Amateur Television Club Convention 2022 takes place next Saturday, the 22nd, from 10 am to 3 pm. The event features online talks about ATV-related topics. More at batc.org.uk/live Now the Special Event News Hartlepool Amateur Radio Club will be running GB0TVS on behalf of Tees Valley North Scouts today, the 16th of October, for Jamboree On The Air. They will be based at Hartlepool Scout Centre. The station will be active on HF, VHF and UHF and will welcome any contacts. Visitors are welcome on Saturday and Sunday. Michel, F8GGZ and other operators will be active as TM100BBC until the 24th of October to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the BBC. Activity will be on all modes, including EME, DMR and C4FM. QSL via F8GGZ, direct or bureau. Now the DX news Today, the 16th, JE1HXZ/6 will be active from the Amami Islands, AS-023. He will operate CW, SSB, RTTY, FT8 and FT4 on the 160 to 6m bands. QSL via the bureau and Logbook of the World. A team of 15 plan to set up four HF stations for CW, SSB, RTTY, FT8, FT4, and a QO-100 satellite station until Monday the 17th of October on the Comoros Islands in the Indian Ocean. They will be operating as D60AE. For more information just search online for the callsign. Gianpi, IK1TTD will be active as 8Q7TD from the Maldives, AS-013, until Monday the 17th of October. Most of his operating will be done on 20m using FT8. QSL direct or via the bureau. Now the contest news Today, the 16th, the 50MHz AFS Contest runs from 0900 to 1300UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Today, the Worked All Germany Contest finishes its two-day run at 1500UTC. Using CW and SSB, the exchange is signal report and serial number. German stations also send their DOK. Also today, the UK Microwave Group 24-76GHz Contest runs from 0900 to 1700UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Tuesday, the 1.3GHz UKAC runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Thursday, the 70MHz UKAC contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Next weekend the UKEICC DX Contest runs for 24 hours from 1200UTC on the 22nd. Using SSB, the exchange is signal report and serial number. UK and Irish stations also send their District Code. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Friday the 14th of October 2022 We had yet another week of good HF propagation, helped by reasonably settled geomagnetic conditions. Although the week started relatively poorly with a Kp index of four all day on Sunday, that soon improved slightly and the rest of the week saw the Kp index hit only ones or twos. The solar flux index declined from 161 on Sunday to 141 on Thursday, which is still more than enough for 10m openings at this time of year. Solar activity was low. Active region 3112 underwent decay but managed several C-class flares. Region 3119 was stable and also produced a few C-class solar flares. The other regions were unremarkable. No Earth-directed CMEs were observed in coronagraph imagery. Low solar activity is expected to continue, with a chance for M-class flares on 13-15 October. At the RSGB Convention in Milton Keynes, the special event station just outside the conference centre was able to work a string of US stations on 10m just to prove that this really is the month for Autumn DX. The KQ2H repeater in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York on 29.620MHz has also given many people their first taste of FM on 10m, along with characteristic phase distortion. Other DX worked this week by well-equipped stations on 10m include FK4QX in New Caledonia and TX7G on the Marquesas Islands. Hopefully, if conditions remain like this, it will make the CQ Worldwide SSB contest on the 29th and 30th of October very interesting. Next week NOAA predicts that the solar flux index may remain in the high 130s. After predicting slightly unsettled geomagnetic conditions on Saturday, NOAA says the Kp index should then fall from four to two until Wednesday the 19th. The latter half of the week may become reasonably unsettled again with a Kp index of four. The US Air Force, however, predicts that this weekend should remain settled geomagnetically – we shall have to wait and see. And now the VHF and up propagation news The current spell of unsettled weather will continue through much of the coming week. There may be a hint of a temporary high over the north and east of Britain around midweek, but this is unlikely to benefit western areas. Any Tropo wins will probably be across the North Sea to Scandinavia and the Baltic region, but only from the easternmost counties of England and Scotland. The low-pressure systems which will dominate are likely to bring spells of heavy rain and passing showers at times. There may be some rain scatter possibilities from this unsettled weather, especially from heavy coastal showers. The aurora propagation mode is always worth considering around the autumn months, so monitor the Kp index, and meteor scatter, particularly in the hours before dawn. The Orionids meteor shower peaks on Friday the 21st with a medium ZHR of 20 so look out for improved conditions around that date. The Moon is at maximum declination today, Sunday, so Moon windows are at their longest, shortening as the week progresses. With apogee this coming Monday, path losses are at their highest. 144MHz sky noise is low all week. Finally, a word about Sporadic-E, of which you may still hear examples on the HF bands as extra-loud short-skip from Europe. And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for October 9th 2022.

GB2RS News Sunday the 9th of October 2022 The news headlines: RSGB Convention 2022 New RSGB Board Member Celebrating 100 Years of the BBC The RSGB’s first hybrid Convention is this weekend. A selection of presentations is being live-streamed as well as interviews, videos and live operations by the special event station GB3HQ. You can watch some of the live stream if you want to join this event from where you live. Head over to the RSGB YouTube channel or follow the link from the live stream web page at rsgb.org/livestream. The RSGB Board is pleased to announce that John McCullagh, GI4BWM has been co-opted as a Board Director until the 2023 AGM. Many members will know John as he was ETCC Chairman from 2005 until 2017 and he is still the Northern Ireland ETCC representative. John worked for almost 40 years as a communications professional in the emergency services in Northern Ireland, retiring in 2005 and being awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours list for services to policing. Since then, he has worked as a communications consultant in Eastern Europe and in the past few years has, with his wife, volunteered with a children's charity in Tanzania. John was licensed in 1973 and has been active ever since, mainly on UHF and VHF. He has been involved with the repeater scene since the late 1970s when he installed the first repeater in Northern Ireland. He is also the Controller of a RAYNET Group in County Antrim and has been in that position since 1976. On the 18th of October 1922, the Marconi Company and other equipment manufacturers formed the British Broadcasting Company, which became the British Broadcasting Corporation six years later. To mark this momentous date exactly 100 years on, members of the BBC Amateur Radio Group have been invited by Arqiva to operate for the day at the Daventry transmitting station that was home to so much of BBC short-wave broadcasting over the years. Members of the BBC and Arqiva clubs will be operating HF on Tuesday the 18th of October from the Empire Service Building at the Daventry site. As well as GB100BBC, the callsign G2LO will be on air. 2LO was the callsign allocated to the very first BBC transmitter, built by Marconi and located at Savoy Hill in London. Keep an eye on the GB100BBC QRZ page for more information. The Caledonian Rally is an annual event that brings together 13- to 17-year-old Scouts and Guides from all over Scotland. This year the event takes place between the 14th and 16th of October. Inverness Amateur Radio Society will be running GB2CWR for the event as part of Jamboree on the Air. Aberdeen Amateur Radio Society members are helping with the station, but more experienced operators are sought, especially for set up and break down. Email InvernessRadioSociety@gmail.com. The Royal Air Force Air Cadets will be running the popular Blue Ham Exercise on the 22nd and 23rd of October from 0800 to 1800UTC each day. If you are a UK Full licence holder the hope is that you can set some time aside to take part with the Cadets and Staff Volunteers who will be ready to take your QSOs over the operating period. A Blue Ham participation certificate for amateur operators who contact 20 or more special MRE callsigns will be available. Details are on the alphacharlie.org.uk portal. Member States of the International Telecommunication Union, the United Nations' specialised agency for information and communication technologies, have elected Doreen Bogdan-Martin, KD2JTX as the organisation's next Secretary-General. She will assume office on the 1st of January 2023. She will be the first woman to lead the ITU in its 157-year history and only the third Secretary-General to hold an amateur radio licence. And now for details of rallies and events The National Hamfest will take place on Friday the 14th and Saturday the 15th of October at Newark Showground, Nottinghamshire. Gates open at 9.30 am and the main hall opens at 10 am. For more information visit nationalhamfest.org.uk. Next Sunday, the 16th of October, the Hornsea Amateur Radio Club Rally will take place at the Driffield Showground YO25 9DW. More information at hornseaarc.co.uk. Now the Special Event News Hartlepool Amateur Radio Club will be running GB0TVS on behalf of Tees Valley North Scouts between the 14th and 16th of October for Jamboree on the Air. They will be based at Hartlepool Scout Centre. The station will be active on HF, VHF and UHF and will welcome any contacts. Visitors are welcome on Saturday and Sunday. Michel, F8GGZ and other operators will be active as TM100BBC between the 10th and the 24th of October to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the BBC. Activity will be on all modes, including EME, DMR and C4FM. QSL via F8GGZ, direct or bureau. Now the DX news A team will be active as TO2DL from Guadeloupe, NA-102, between the 10th and the 23rd of October. They will operate CW, SSB and digital modes on the 10 to 160m bands with three stations. QSL via DL7DF, either direct or via the bureau. Garry, ZC4GR/2M1DHG has been active as VP8DLB from Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands, SA-002, since the 23rd of September. He will remain there until December. QSL via EB7DX. A team of 15 plan to set up four HF stations for CW, SSB, RTTY, FT8, FT4, and a QO-100 satellite station until the 17th of October on the Comoros Islands in the Indian Ocean. They will be operating as D60AE. For more information just search for the callsign. Now the contest news On Tuesday the 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855UTC. It is followed by the all-mode 432MHz UK Activity Contest from 1900 to 2130UTC. The exchange is the same for both, signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the Autumn Series Data Contest runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using RTTY and PSK 63, the exchange is signal report and serial number. The 432MHz FT8 Activity Contest also takes place on Wednesday. Running between 1900 and 2100UTC, the exchange is a report and your 4-character locator. On Thursday the 50MHz UK Activity contest runs between 1900 and 2130UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Next weekend the Worked All Germany Contest runs for 24 hours from 1500UTC on the 15th. Using CW and SSB on the 3.5 to 28MHz bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. German stations also send DOK. Next Sunday, the 16th, the 50MHz AFS Contest runs from 0900 to 1300UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The RoLo CW Contest takes place between 1900 and 2030UTC next Sunday, the 16th. Using the 3.5MHz band, the exchange is signal report and the locator received. Also next Sunday, the UK Microwave Group 24 to 76GHz Contest runs from 0900 to 1700UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Friday the 7th of October 2022 Yet another good week for HF propagation has passed, although it has been borderline in terms of geomagnetic disturbances. The Kp index hovered around the four mark all week, mainly due to high-speed streams from the solar wind, possibly from slight glancing blows from incoming CME material. There have been a few M-class solar flares, but nothing too violent. The risk of X-class flares though remains relatively high. The solar flux continued to climb despite pessimistic predictions, ending up at 161 and a sunspot number of 151 on Thursday. Daytime critical frequencies have been in the range of 7.5 - 8MHz, meaning 40m has been an excellent inter-G band during the day. MUFs over a 3,000km path have been exceeding 24.9MHz, and occasionally 28MHz, especially in the early afternoon. This has meant that HF propagation has been good with excellent openings on all the upper HF bands. Paul, GM4ULS has even reported hearing what we believe to be round-the-world echoes while listening to high-power European stations on 20m calling for long-path Asia, VK and ZL contacts in the morning. This is a sure sign that the ionosphere is playing ball! Next week the US Air Force predicts that the solar flux will remain in the 150s to start with, but may then decline into the 130s as the week progresses. The Kp index is predicted to be no more than three all week, although an incoming CME could soon spoil that. Coronal hole activity appears to be minimal, once we get past the effects of a small hole on the equator, which became Earth-facing on Wednesday. This could result in the Kp index rising on Friday, although the hole’s size means the effects may be short-lived and perhaps minimal. So in conclusion, it is Autumn with an SFI in the 150s and an active, but not unsettled, geomagnetic field. In other words, it should be good for HF DX unless a solar flare or CME comes along and spoils things. And now the VHF and up propagation news. The typical Autumn weather will continue over the next week, meaning alternating ridges of high pressure between active weather fronts with rain and strong winds. There have been some reasonably uplifted Tropo conditions during recent spells of high pressure and no reason to think this won’t be the case over the next week. The two most likely high-pressure transitions across the country are this weekend and again in the first half of next week. Paths to the south into the continent should do well. In between these events, we find active weather fronts crossing the country with a large low taking up residence by the end of the week. This could lead to a few rain scatter options for GHz bands, but Autumn storms can be fast-moving and hard to track. The Sun continues to offer support with a high Kp index on occasion so always a chance of aurora. The Draconids and the Orionids are the major meteor showers this month. The former, peaking today, Sunday, with a typical ZHR of 10, has been known to reach storm level. The Orionids are active from the 2nd of October to the 7th of November peaking on the 21st with a medium ZHR of 20. Random meteor scatter propagation is always available and rates are high in October, so it’s always a banker if you have a decent system for the low VHF bands. With all these more exotic modes the best course of action is to monitor the clusters for signs of activity. Moon declination goes positive today (Sunday), so Moon windows will lengthen as the week progresses. We are past perigee so path losses will increase throughout the week. 144MHz sky noise is low all week. And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for October 2nd 2022.

GB2RS News Sunday the 2nd of October 2022 The news headlines: RSGB Convention 2022 Jamboree on the Air and Jamboree on the Internet Three new CW and FT8 Beacons in Service Booking for the RSGB Convention ends today, Sunday the 2nd of October, so don’t miss out! You will still be able to buy day tickets at the event, but these will be at a higher price. The programme is available on the RSGB website with summaries of some of the presentations. Information is added regularly to help you make the most of the weekend. In addition to over 50 lectures, there are also RSGB sessions on Sunday where you can meet the Regional Team, the Board of Directors and the Contest Committees. Do go along and hear from these volunteer groups, find out their plans for the coming year and ask any questions you may have. DXCC card checking and new user registrations for Logbook of the World will be available on Saturday only. Full information about the Convention is at rsgb.org/convention. Jamboree on the Air and Jamboree on the Internet is the world’s largest radio and digital Scout event. It takes place on the air and online between the 14th and the 16th of October. If you or your club are planning to help a local Scout group get on the air, the RSGB would love to hear about it. Email radcom@rsgb.org.uk and also post the details on the RSGB’s Facebook and Twitter profiles. For more information about the worldwide event go to jotajoti.info. On Sunday the 25th of September, the Mid Cornwall Beacon and Repeater Group brought into service three new CW and FT8 Beacons. These can be found on 28.215MHz, 40.050MHz and 60.300MHz, each using the callsign GB3MCB. The beacons were constructed by Peter, G8BCG and are located at IO70OJ in mid-Cornwall. They are ideally situated for identifying transatlantic and equatorial Sporadic-E as well as F2 propagation. For further information visit gb3nc.org.uk.   The next RSGB Tonight@8 webinar is on Monday the 3rd of October when Daimon Tilley, G4USI takes ‘HF on Holiday’. Aimed at everyone, from beginners upwards, Daimon will look at considerations and ideas for those who would like to take HF away with them. Find out more on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/webinars. The latest edition of RadCom Basics was released on the 29th of September. Each edition of RadCom Basics explores key aspects of amateur radio in a straightforward way. An email alert is sent to subscribers when a new edition of RadCom Basics is published. Topics included in the latest edition include how to start with a tight budget, basic bench fault finding and working towards and claiming awards. For more information visit rsgb.org/radcom-basics. The RSGB is hosting the Transatlantic Centenary Tests 2022 on the HF bands for the month of December. Unlike those of the 1920s, which consisted of one-way communication, this event will encourage worldwide, two-way communication with UK and Crown Dependency stations. There will be a series of awards available for making QSOs with those who are activating historic RSGB callsigns. The Club Log Team has kindly agreed to provide the supporting infrastructure for this. Taking part is simple and everything you need to know is on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/transatlantic-tests. And now for details of rallies and events The 48th Welsh Radio Rally, due to be held on Monday the 3rd of October at Rougemont School, Newport, has been cancelled as previously publicised. The RSGB Convention will take place between Friday the 7th of October and Sunday the 9th of October at Kent’s Hill Park Training and Conference Centre, Milton Keynes. For more information visit rsgb.org/convention. National Hamfest will take place on Friday the 14th and Saturday the 15th of October at Newark Showground, Nottinghamshire. Gates open at 9.30 am and the main hall opens at 10 am. For more information visit nationalhamfest.org.uk.   Now the Special Event News ZL75WARC will be on the air from New Zealand between the 1st of October and the 31st of December to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Whangarei Amateur Radio Club. A certificate will be awarded for working any three club members on any two modes. To celebrate its 45th birthday, Haan Amateur Radio Club, in northern Germany, will be on the air from the 1st of October 2022 to the 30th of September 2023 as DR45HAAN. QSL via the DARC bureau. Now the DX news IK1TTD will be active from the Maldives, AS-013, as 8Q7TD between Sunday the 2nd and Monday the 17th of October, mainly on 20m. QSL via his home call either directly, via the Bureau or Logbook of the World. Didier, F6BCW is active from the Marquesas Islands, OC-027, as TX7G until the 15th of October. He will be available on the 80 to 10m HF bands using CW, SSB and possibly FT8 and RTTY. QSL details via QRZ.com. Graham, MM0GHM will be active portable or mobile from Barra Island in the Outer Hebrides, EU-010, between the 1st and the 8th of October. QSL via MM0GHM directly, via the Bureau and eQSL. Now the contest news Today, the 2nd, the RSGB DX Contest will take place between 0600 to 1800UTC. The operation will take place on all of the HF bands, where contest operation is permitted, using CW and SSB. The exchange is a signal report and serial number. This weekend the 432MHz to 245GHz Contest ends its 24-hour run at 1400UTC today, the 2nd of October. At the same time, the IARU 432MHz to 245GHz contest is also taking place. Using all modes, the exchange is the same for both contests, signal report, serial number and locator. The Worked All Britain DX Contest takes place today, Sunday the 2nd of October, between 0500 to 2300UTC. Using SSB on the 80, 40, 20 and 10m bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and Worked all Britain square. On Monday, the RSGB Autumn Series CW Contest will take place between 1900 to 2030UTC. Using the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Tuesday sees the 144MHz FM Activity Contest run 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. On Tuesday the Irish Radio Transmitters Society 80m Evening Counties Contest takes place between 1900 to 2000UTC. Using CW and SSB, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Irish stations also exchange their county code. On Wednesday, the UK and Ireland Contest Club 80m Contest will take place from 2000 to 2100UTC. Using SSB, the exchange is your six-character locator. On Wednesday, the RSGB 144MHz FT8 Activity Contest will take place between 1900 to 2100UTC. The exchange is a report and a four-character locator. The Oceania DX CW contest will start at 0800UTC on Saturday the 8th and run for 24 hours. Using all of the HF bands, where contest operation is permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Friday the 30th of September 2022 The HF bands have been really humming this week, making up for the summer doldrums. A lot of this is due to the seasonal change in the ionosphere that results in more monatomic species and fewer diatomic ones. These are easier to ionise, which is good news for radio amateurs everywhere as the MUF rises. A quick check shows that all the HF bands up to 10m have been serving up DX, so make the most of it. There have been 10m openings as far as Wyoming and California. The solar flux index has been static at 135, and that may not change too much as we enter next week with the return of old sunspot region 3098, which still appears to be active. The Kp index reached six on Tuesday due to the impact of a coronal mass ejection on the Sun. This resulted in widespread visible aurora. Unfortunately, a large coronal hole will become Earth-centric on Friday the 30th, which may result in a high-speed solar wind stream that is expected to reach Earth beginning late on the 30th of September and into the 1st of October. If the stream’s Bz is pointing south it could result in minor (G1) to moderate (G2) geomagnetic storming. Visible and radio aurora at higher latitudes may be possible heading into the new month as well. NOAA predicts that the solar flux will remain around the 130 mark, but that the Kp index may elevate to five or even six over the first half of the week. So we may have seen the best of the DX for the time being, at least until the Kp index recovers. And now the VHF and up propagation news. The current period of weather is fairly typical of autumn with a mix of fine, settled ridges of high pressure interrupted by some passages of low pressure with their attendant fronts and bands of showers. These can be very vigorous systems with scope to bring gales to some areas making this a good time of the year to make those final checks of antenna guys and fixings before winter comes. In terms of propagation, there will be some active rain bands crossing the country, plus a chance of a few showers. This raises the possibility of some rain scatter on the GHz bands, although less intense than summer events. The shower part of the story tends to favour the seas around our coasts, but in stronger autumn winds you will need to keep on top of the tracking rate which can be quite brisk. The occasional periods of high pressure bring a good chance of Tropo at times, especially towards the continent from Biscay and France across to Germany and Poland. There will be some overnight mist and fog, which usually gives a boost to Tropo for part of the day at least. Other exotic modes, like aurora, are certainly worth consideration after recent examples, plus of course, the chance of some random meteor scatter. The daytime Sextantid meteor shower is still active through to the 9th of October although we are past the peak. The Moon is at minimum declination today (Sunday) and at perigee on Tuesday. Path losses will be low and Moon windows will lengthen as the week progresses. 144MHz sky noise is high today, but low from Tuesday. And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for September 25th 2022.

GB2RS News Sunday the 25th of September 2022 The news headlines: RSGB Convention 2022 New RSGB EMF Calculator App Remote Examination Invigilators Wanted   The RSGB has published the draft programme for its annual Convention. There are over 50 lectures planned for the weekend so there should be something for everyone to enjoy. This is the Society’s first hybrid event where some of the lectures will also be live-streamed. Further details of that live stream will be added to the RSGB Convention web page over the next few days. All three levels of UK amateur radio exams will be held at the RSGB Convention and the deadline for booking an exam slot has been extended to Sunday the 2nd of October. You won’t be able to book exams on the day and you will need to take your own laptop. For links to the Convention programme and the online exam booking form, go to rsgb.org/convention. The deadline for booking Convention day or weekend tickets, accommodation or complete packages online is also the 2nd of October. The RSGB has issued a Trial Version 2 of its EMF Calculator App. This version removes the restriction on frequencies below 10MHz and the minimum separation of near field boundary. The app is being released as a trial version as the RSGB would welcome feedback from users. You can find the app and more information about the EMF work on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/emf. There will also be a presentation on the update at the RSGB Convention on Saturday and an EMF support clinic on Sunday morning. The next RSGB Tonight@8 webinar is on Monday the 3rd of October when Daimon Tilley, G4USI takes ‘HF on Holiday’. Aimed at everyone, from beginners upwards, Daimon will look at considerations and ideas for those who would like to take HF away with them. Find out more on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/webinars. Remote invigilation and online examinations have been a huge success due to the efforts of the team of invigilators. If you have not previously invigilated an online examination using the TestReach system and would like more information on joining the team, please email eqam@rsgb.org.uk. The closing date for applications for the RSGB’s Commonwealth Games operating awards is next month. The RSGB Awards Manager must receive your application via awards@rsgb.org.uk by the 31st of October or your application won’t be counted. Further details and application forms for the 2022 Commonwealth Games Award and the GB22 Award are on the Society’s website at www.rsgb.org/cwg. Andy, G6PJZ has achieved the coveted Summits On The Air Mountain Goat award for reaching 1,000 activator points. Andy started collecting SOTA points in 2015. His Mountain Goat-qualifying activation took place from a summit in the English Lake District recently. The provisional results for the last IARU Region 1 50 and 70MHz CW and SSB contests are available. Congratulations to GM4ZUK who was placed first in the single operator 70MHz category and G0VHF/P who has been placed first in the multi-operator section. In the 50MHz contest, GM4ZUK was placed second in the single operator category and G8T was placed second in the multi-operator category. Read the full results at iaru-r1.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. Today, Sunday 25th of September, the Weston-Super-Mare Radio Society and Electronics Rally will be held at The Campus Community Centre BS24 7DX. It opens at 10 am and entry is £3 per person. On Sunday the 2nd of October, the Welsh Radio Rally will be held at the new venue of Llanwern High School, NP18 2YE. Doors open at 10 am. More information at gw6gw.co.uk. Now the Special Event News Today, the 25th, the South Eastern Amateur Radio Group, EI2WRC will be active from the Suir Valley Railway Station in County Waterford, Ireland for Railways On the Air. In celebration of the life of the late Queen Elizabeth II, members of the Marconi Amateur Radio Circle will be active as 9H6QE until the 14th of October. The main activity will be on the 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10m bands. QSL direct to 9H1MRC. Now the DX news Stephen, M0CYT will be active on Christmas Island between the 24th of September and the 1st of October. He will be operating on the 10 to 80m bands using SSB, FT8 and WSPR, most afternoons and evenings. He will be using the Christmas Island Amateur Radio Club callsign VK9XX. This week Vincent, K6VVK will be active as FO/K6VVK from French Polynesia. He will operate CW, SSB, FT8, and FT4 on the 160 to 6m bands. QSL via Logbook of The World. Nathan, 2E0HSV is a technician from Port Stanley's radio station and plans to be active this week as VP8AAE using SSB and various digital modes. He plans to activate some SOTA references along the east and west coast of The Falkland Islands. QSL via operator's instructions. Now the contest news The Practical Wireless 70MHz competition will take place today, the 25th, running from 1200 to 1600UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal strength, serial number and locator. Today, the 25th, the UK Microwave Group has its 5.7 and 10GHz contest. The contest will run from 0600 to 1800 UTC using all modes. The exchange is signal strength, serial number and locator. The worldwide RTTY Contest ends its 24-hour run at 2359 UTC today, the 25th of September. Operating will take place on the 80 to 10m bands where contest operation is permitted. The exchange is signal report and CQ zone. On Monday, the RSGB FT4 Contest will take place between 1900 to 2030UTC. Using the 80, 40 and 20m bands, the exchange is a signal report and four-character locator. On Tuesday, the RSGB SHF UK Activity Contest will take place from 1830 to 2130UTC using all modes on 2.3 to 10GHz. The exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday, the UKEICC 80m Contest will run from 2000 to 2100UTC. Using CW, the exchange is a six-character locator. On Saturday, the 1.2GHz Trophy and 2.3GHz Trophy both run from 1400 to 2200UTC. Using all modes in the respective bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Next Sunday, the 2nd of October, the DX Contest takes place between 0600 and 1800UTC. Using CW and SSB on the 3.5 and 28MHz bands where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. The 77th Oceania DX Contest will start at 0600UTC on Saturday the 1st of October and will run for 24 hours. The exchange is a signal report and serial number. Next weekend the 432MHz to 245GHz Contest runs from 1400UTC on the 1st to 1400UTC on the 2nd of October. At the same time, the IARU 432MHz to 245GHz contest is also taking place. Using all modes, the exchange is the same for both contests, signal report, serial number and locator. The Worked All Britain DX Contest takes place on Sunday the 2nd of October from 0500 to 2300UTC. Entrants can pick any six-hour period to score points in the contest. The 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10m bands can be used. The exchange is report, serial number and Worked All Britain square, if applicable. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4DDK on Friday 23rd September 2022. Last week saw the solar flux index decline very slightly to 137. The good news is that we have had reasonably-settled geomagnetic conditions. The highest Kp index has been three, but it has often been at zero or one. This is good news as it means that the ionosphere has had a chance to develop. The MUF over a 3,000km path has often exceeded 28MHz, especially in the early afternoons. This will probably improve further as we head into late September and early October. The result is that some good DX has been available. J20EE in Djibouti, Africa has been workable on 10m CW, as has ZD7BG on St Helena. And ZL7/K5WE on Chatham Island is reported to have been “very easy” to work on 40m. The 4X6TU IBP beacon in Givatayim, Israel on 28.200MHz has been audible down to one watt recently, which is very encouraging. Numerous North American low-power beacons have also been audible, including the five-watt K5TLL on 28.298MHz in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. As we head into next week, the Sun will be dominated by active regions 3105 and 3107. Region 3015 is actually the remains of AR 3089. A cluster of sunspots in 3105 continue to turn into view off the southeast limb and for now, they remain mostly stable, however minor solar flares will be quite possible. NOAA predicts that the solar flux index may decline to the mid-120s next week. Geomagnetic conditions are predicted to remain calm, at least until the 29th when the Kp index is predicted to rise to five or even six. A single CME could soon disrupt the calm so don’t expect the good conditions to last. And now the VHF and up propagation news. The weather has a noticeable autumn flavour to it lately and the coming week is continuing that theme. As this was being prepared on Wednesday evening, there is a hint of tropo over the southern half of the British Isles, but as soon as a cold front completes its journey south on Thursday, we enter a period of cooler north-westerly winds. This will bring rain and showers and means that for most of this weekend and next week, rain scatter is a good option for the GHz bands. Late in the week, and probably nearer next weekend, we find another high edging closer to Ireland and western Britain, perhaps bringing some patchy Tropo down the western side of the country. A further possibility is for meteor scatter and auroral propagation to present themselves as an option, but see the HF section earlier for the solar details and implications. The Kp index rising above five will be a useful guide for the chance of aurora. There are no major meteor showers in the coming week, although towards the end there may be some early Orionids shower reflections. This shower will peak between the 2nd and 7th of October. It is also worth watching for reflections during the daytime from the Sextantid meteor shower, which is active until the 9th of October. The peak is expected to be around the 27th of September. Good hunting! The Moon will be low in the sky throughout this week and as this coincides with the Moon getting closest to the Earth, path losses will be the lowest. With the equinox now past, the Sun will not appear above the Ecliptic again for another six months. This will make Sun-to-cold-sky noise measurements less easy. If you need to make these measurements, and there are a few EME operators who don’t, now is probably a good time to do them before those horizon trees get in the way! And that’s all from the propagation team this week.