RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for 10th November 2024

 

GB2RS News

Sunday the 10^th of November

The news headlines:

• The RSGB launches its 2025 Construction Competition
• The RSGB Contest Club needs volunteers for the second World Wide Award event
• Watch more great content from the RSGB 2024 Convention

The RSGB has launched its Construction Competition for 2025. Entries to this annual competition will again be judged online to allow RSGB members from the UK and across the world to participate and demonstrate their creativity. In line with the Society’s strategic priority of growth, there will be a new Outreach category this year in which members are encouraged to submit a project that can be reproduced in a school or public environment. The other five categories are beginners, construction excellence, innovation, software and antennas. 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 recipient of the Pat Hawker G3VA Award. The winner of the beginner category will also receive the Gavin Nesbitt, MM1BXF trophy. The results of the competition will be announced during the 2025 RSGB Annual General Meeting in April. For full details of the competition and how to enter, visit the RSGB website at rsgb.org/construction-competition

The RSGB Contest Club is excited to announce that the second World Wide Award event will be taking place in January 2025 and it is looking for volunteers to take part. Last year’s event included 28 RSGB members who made more than 109,000 contacts. The Society’s Contest Club has confirmed there are currently special activator stations in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. However, if volunteers from Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man would like to participate then further callsigns can be added. QSOs can be made using SSB, CW, and digital modes. To be involved you will need to be an RSGB member and hold a Full Licence. To find out more about the event search ‘RSGB Contest Club’ on the RSGB website and scroll down to the section titled World Wide Award 2025. Then email contestclub@rsgbcc.org  to register your interest.

The Society has released some more great content from its recent Annual Convention. In its ‘Discussion with the Board’ session, the RSGB Board outlined progress with the strategic priorities and answered questions from Convention attendees about the strategy and a range of other topics. The session wasn’t on the live stream, but you can see it now on the RSGB YouTube channel. On the Friday night of the Convention, the RSGB Comms Manager asked people in the bar if they had tried anything new in amateur radio during the last year. You can hear their answers in the latest Convention Chat video. What would your answer be? You can watch both videos in the RSGB 2024 Convention playlist at youtube.com/theRSGB

The 19^th International Amateur Radio Union Region 3 Conference was hosted by the Thailand National Society in Bangkok and concluded on Friday the 7th of November. The hybrid event saw the RSGB attending online, which included accounting for a seven-hour time zone difference. The Conference was opened on Monday the 4^th of November by national and international dignitaries. Numerous papers and reports were considered including the latest proposals for a global 40m band plan, emergency communications reports, as well as modernisation of its organisation. The region which covers Asia-Pacific countries has also started its work for the next World Radio Conference in 2027. You can view papers from the event by visiting tinyurl.com/IARUR3

Ofcom has agreed to the RSGB request to extend the 146/147MHz NoV 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 146/147MHz NoV on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/nov

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, also known as ARISS, will be conducting Slow Scan TV operations from the International Space Station between the 11th and 18th of November. There will be 12 images to catch during the week-long experiment, which will be on the theme of the 40th anniversary of amateur radio in human spaceflight. Find out more by visiting the ARISS social media pages or via ariss.org

Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for submissions is 10 am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week.

And now for details of rallies and events

The Rochdale and District Amateur Radio Winter Rally is taking place on Saturday the 23^rd of November at St Vincent de Paul’s Hall, Norden in Rochdale. The usual traders and caterers will be attending. Doors open at 10 am and entry is £3. Plenty of parking will be available. For more information contact the Treasurer and Rally Organiser, Martin Shore, via rally.radars@hotmail.com or call 07587 709006.

The Bishop Auckland Radio Amateur’s Club Annual Rally is taking place on Sunday the 24^th of November at Spennymoor Leisure Centre in County Durham. The usual traders will be attending. Catering, ample parking and disabled facilities will be available. For more information, please visit barac.org.uk

The Wiltshire Radio Winter Rally is on Sunday the 1^st of December at Kington Langley Village Hall in Kington Langley, located just off Junction 17 of the M4. Doors open at 9 am and close at 1 pm. Admission is £3. Indoor tables are £10. Car boot pitches are £10 for a car-size pitch and £15 for a van-size pitch. Hot and cold refreshments will be available on-site. For more information email Chairman@Chippenhamradio.club

Now the Special Event news

George, MM0JNL is active as GB0GTS until the 18^th of November to raise awareness of homeless military veterans in association with The Great Tommy Sleepout organised by The Royal British Legion Industries. The station will be operating on the 80 to 10m bands using SSB. There may also be some activity on the 2m band. George will operate at least one full night outside as part of the Great Tommy Sleepout. More details are available at QRZ.com

Special callsign GB200LB will be active from the 4^th to the 31^st of January 2025 to celebrate the bicentenary of the invention of the Braille code. More information to follow.

Now the DX news

Maurizio, IK2GZU is active as 5H3MB from Tanzania until the 11^th of November while doing volunteer work at a local school. In his spare time, he will operate SSB, CW and digital modes on the 80 to 10m bands. QSL via Club Log's OQRS, Logbook of the World, eQSL or direct via IK2GZU.

A team of operators is active as XT2MD from Burkina Faso until the 11^th of November. They will operate on HF bands and EME. QSL via IK2VUC, bureau or direct.

VK9CV is active from Cocos in the Keeling Islands until the 15^th of November. The group will operate using CW, SSB, FT8, RTTY and QO-100 on the 160 to 10m bands. QSL via OK6DJ and Logbook of the World.

HC5CW and HC2AP will be active as HC5CW/8 and HD8CW from San Cristobal Island in the Galapagos Islands between the 19^th and 28^th of November. The IOTA reference is SA 004. They will operate on the HF bands, CW, SSB and FT8. QSL via M0OXO or OQRS.

Now the contest news

The Worked All Europe DX RTTY Contest started at 0000UTC on Saturday the 9^th of November and ends at 2359UTC today, Sunday the 10^th of November. Using RTTY on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number.

On Tuesday the 12^th of November the RSGB 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 1955UTC. Using FM on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

Also on Tuesday the 12^th of November is the RSGB 432MHz UK Activity Contest which runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

On Wednesday the 13^th of November the RSGB 432MHz FT8 Activity four-hour contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator.

Also, on Wednesday the 13^th is the RSGB 432MHz FT8 Activity two-hour contest which runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest.

The RSGB 80m Autumn Series SSB Contest runs on Wednesday the 13^th of November from 2000 to 2130UTC. Using SSB on the 80m band only, the exchange is signal report and serial number.

On Thursday the 14^th of November, the RSGB 50MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

The RSGB Second 1.8MHz Contest runs from 2000UTC to 2300UTC on Saturday the 16^th of November. Using CW on the 1.8MHz band only, the exchange is a signal report, serial number and district code. A list of the district codes is available on the RSGB Contest Committee website via rsgbcc.org.

 

Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Thursday the 7th of November.

We had another week of high solar flux and good conditions on HF.

Solar activity remained at high levels thanks to an impulsive X2.3 solar flare around active region 3883 at 13:40 UTC on the 6^th of November, but the event was not responsible for a coronal mass ejection (CME).

The Kp index remained below 4.5 all week, with a solar flux index in the range of 240-260. That was more than enough to keep the ionosphere very active.

A recent report on spaceweather.com  suggested that the solar cycle may have peaked in the Sun’s southern hemisphere but may still have a way to go in its northern hemisphere.

It's usual for there to be two peaks in a solar cycle as the two hemispheres are seldom synchronised. We will have to wait and see, but it could mean another three to six months of high SFI numbers as the northern hemisphere catches up.

A solar filament located in the southwest quadrant erupted on the 7^th of November. A coronal mass ejection, or CME as it is also known, occurred but appeared to be off the Sun-Earth line, so no major impacts are expected.

A sunspot group turning into view from off the southeastern limb has been assigned active region 3889 and is producing M-class solar flares. The probability of further M-class flares stands at 80%. Meanwhile, the risk of an X-class flare currently stands at 35%.

A coronal hole is currently Earth-facing and could cause some disruption sometime around Saturday 9th.

The solar proton flux has decreased to normal levels, so polar paths should now be unaffected.

Next week, NOAA predicts that the SFI could decline into the range of 165-185. Geomagnetic disturbances are forecast for the 11th and 12th, and again on the 15th, with the Kp index predicted to reach four.

Meanwhile, we do urge you to get on 10 metres, which is currently experiencing some fine DX openings. This month and next will probably give the best chance of good 10-metre propagation for a while.

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

Another week has just passed with daily F2-layer propagation on 50MHz providing morning openings to Southeast Asia, and the Americas in the afternoon. Expect more in the coming week. 

The current spell of high pressure has had a good run with some excellent Tropo conditions, with the best DX along the side of the high pressure.

This weekend will see the high finally giving way as weak Atlantic fronts move in from the west. This will soon be replaced by a new high building in the colder air behind the weekend fronts. It may look like Tropo should come back, but this high may be less productive.

The major change of weather pattern comes before mid-week, when it may turn more unsettled as low pressure moves closer to eastern areas from the North Sea. This general move towards more unsettled conditions will continue through the end of the week.

In terms of propagation, good Tropo will be replaced by some patchy rain scatter opportunities for the GHz bands from about the middle of next week.

Staying with scatter modes, meteor scatter looks promising with the Taurids peaking on Tuesday the 12^th and the Leonids due to peak on the following weekend on Sunday the 17^th.

The solar conditions continue to offer chance occurrences of aurora due to solar flares or CMEs so, as usual, keep a watch on the Kp index going above Kp=4.

An occasional reminder of the possibility of out-of-season Es for the digital modes is timely. Recently the critical frequency of the Es layer has reached 7MHz on the Dourbes ionosonde plotted on www.propquest.co.uk  and in theory, this would be good enough for a 6m band path.

For EME operators, Moon declination is negative but rising, going positive again on Tuesday the 12^th. Path losses are falling as we approach perigee next Thursday the 14^th. 144MHz sky noise is moderate to low this coming week.

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