RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for 13th April 2025

GB2RS News

Sunday the 13^th of April 2025

 

The news headlines:

• Apply to be in the RSGB team for YOTA Camp 2025
• Be part of the RSGB Exam Tutors Review Panel
• Catch up with the RSGB 2025 AGM on YouTube

If you are aged between 16 and 25 and are passionate about amateur radio, then this news is for you. This year’s Youngsters on the Air Summer Camp will take place between the 18^th and 25^th of August at the historical Château [SHA-TOW] de Jambville [ZHOM-VIL] near Paris in France. The event is being organised by the French national amateur radio society, REF, and the IARU. It is a chance of a lifetime for young RSGB members to represent their country and their national society. If you are ready for exciting experiences, would like to make new friends and want to help shape the future of amateur radio, then the RSGB would love to hear from you. If you’d like to find out more about what’s involved and to submit an application, go to rsgb.org/yota-camp The closing date for applications is the 2^nd of May for Team Leader and the 16^th of May for Team Members. Apply today and don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity.

The RSGB is looking to recruit volunteers from the exam tutor community to help pre-screen documentation prior to public release as part of the process of improving the quality of documents issued by the Exam and Syllabus Review Group (ESRG). The Exam Tutors Review Panel is intended to be an informal group of approximately six tutors who are currently involved in providing training for amateur radio licence exams at any of the three current levels. Panel members will be asked to use their skills to help improve the quality of the syllabus, the questions in the published question bank and other published documentation. They will receive advance copies of documents that are due to be published, and they will be expected to return any comments within an agreed timescale, which typically will be two weeks. The ESRG is not obliged to accept the recommendations from panel members, but if they do not accept a recommended change, they will explain why. All documents and additional correspondence sent to panel members will be under an embargo until the final versions are released to the public. The Exam Tutors Review Panel is intended to run for an initial six months and will then be reviewed. If you are interested in becoming a member of this panel, please email Board Director Len Paget, GM0ONX via GM0ONX@rsgb.org.uk

The RSGB would like to thank everyone who joined the RSGB 2025 AGM which was held yesterday, the 12^th of April. If you missed the live event, you’ll still be able to watch the full livestream on the Society’s YouTube channel. As well as the formal AGM business, the Board answered questions from RSGB members on a wide range of topics. You’ll also be able to watch the President’s review of 2024, delivered by John McCullagh MBE, GI4BWM, who was the RSGB President at the time. The AGM also included a presentation about the Society’s strategy. Led by Board Director Mark Jones, G0MGX, there were contributions from Board Director Ben Lloyd, GW4BML; Spectrum Forum Chair Murray Niman, G6JYB; and the current President Bob Beebe, GU4YOX. Timestamps will be available in the video summary on YouTube, allowing you to skip to any particular section you may want to watch. Go to rsgb.org/agm to find out more about every aspect of the AGM, including personal statements from the new President, Board Directors and Regional Representatives.

Don’t forget that as part of the celebrations of the centenary of the International Amateur Radio Union, the RSGB will be activating the callsign GB0IARU throughout this month. A Commemorative QSL Card is available for QSOs made during the period from the 1^st of April to the 30^th of April 2025. On qrz.com you can find full details of the special event station, how to apply for your commemorative card, and a spreadsheet showing who is activating the callsign.

World Amateur Radio Day 2025 is taking place on Friday the 18^th of April, and coincides with the centenary of the International Amateur Radio Union. This year’s theme is “Entering the Next Century of Amateur Radio Communications and Innovation”. All radio amateurs are invited to take to the airwaves to show their skills and capabilities to the public. You can read more about the event on the IARU website via iaru.org

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

And now for details of rallies and events

The Moray Firth Amateur Radio Society Surplus Equipment Sale is taking place on Saturday the 19^th of April at Roseisle [ROSE-ISLE] Village Hall, near Burghead. Doors open to traders at 10am, and to the general public between 11am and 4pm. There is ample parking on site and catering will be available. Entry is £5, and tables for sellers are £10. Find out more by going to mfars.club

The Cambridge Repeater Group Rally is taking place on Sunday the 27^th of April at Foxton Village Hall, Hardman Road, Foxton, Cambridge, CB22 6RN. Doors open at 7.30am for traders and 9.30am to the general public. The entrance fee is £4. The event will include a car-boot sale, trade stands, a bring-and-buy area, catering, disabled facilities, an RSGB Bookstall and a free marshalled car park. A cash and card burger van will open at 8am. The venue rules state strictly no dogs except assistance dogs on the field. Go to cambridgerepeaters.net for further details and bookings.

Now the Special Event news

The Experimental Danish Radioamateurs association, also known as EDR, will be celebrating World Amateur Radio Day on the 18^th of April with special event station 5P0WARD. The group is also operating special callsign OZ100IARU between the 19^th of April and the 27^th of April to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the IARU. More information can be found at QRZ.com

The Polish Amateur Radio Union is celebrating 95 years since its founding, as well as the centenary of the International Amateur Radio Union. To mark the occasion, ten special event stations are active until the 25^th of April. Full details of the event, as well as available awards, can be found via Hamaward.cloud

The Spanish national society, URE, will also be on the air to mark the 100^th anniversary of the IARU. Members will be active on 160m to 6m between the 15^th of April and the 30^th of April with ten different special event stations, including AO100IARU. Special awards will be available, as well as medals for the top participants from each continent who achieve the highest number of contacts with the stations on different bands and modes. Go to ure.es for further details.

Now the DX news

Paul, GW0NGA will be active from Jamestown in St Helena as ZD7PG from the 12^th of April until the 19^th of April. He will be active on the HF bands during his spare time. QSL via his home callsign and possibly eQSL.

Aldir, PY1SAD is active again from Georgetown in Guyana [GAI-AA-NUH] as 8R1TM until the 26^th of April. Aldir will be operating on all bands using CW, SSB, digital and satellite. QSL via eQSL and Logbook of The World.

DA1DX, DK9IP, DM6EE and DL8LAS will be active from Anegada [A-NE-GA-DA] Island in the British Virgin Islands as VP2VI from the 10^th to the 27^th of April. Full details via QRZ.com

Now the contest news

On Tuesday the 15^th of April, the 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 23cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

On Wednesday the 16^th of April, the 80m Club Championship runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using SSB on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number.

On Thursday the 17^th of April, the 70MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using All modes on the 4m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

 

Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 10^th of April 2025

A fast solar wind caused some disruption last week, often sending the Kp index up to five, with many three-hour periods in excess of four.

The solar wind speed was in the 600-700 kilometres per second range, which caused a moderate, G2, geomagnetic storm and visible aurora at higher latitudes mid-week. Glancing CMEs that left the Sun on the 9^th of April brought a small chance of enhanced geomagnetic activity at the end of the week.

Meanwhile, the solar flux index declined slightly from a high of 184 on the 5^th of April to 167 on Thursday the 10^th. There have been quite a few C-class solar flares, but only two M-class flares and no X-class events over the past seven days.

This geomagnetic activity has taken its toll on HF propagation, with lower critical frequencies at times and lower MUFs. This, coupled with the start of a change to summer ionospheric conditions, has meant that MUFs over a 3,000km path have often struggled to get past 19.7MHz at times.

We have probably seen the best of the long-range 10m propagation until the autumn. But we will have Sporadic-E and its associated short skip from next month to make up for it.

Next week NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will fall further, perhaps to between 135 and 140 by the 15^th of April. Geomagnetic conditions are also likely to improve with a Kp index of two to three, forecast for the period after tomorrow, the 14^th of April. We may expect more problematic geomagnetic conditions, with a predicted Kp index of four, from the 21^st to the 24^th of April.

 

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

The long spell of fine settled weather and strong Tropo is leaving us for a while, starting this weekend, and the high pressure is giving way to slow-moving areas of low pressure with cloud and rain for the coming week.

Although it won’t rain all the time it will be considerably wetter than recent weeks, with some heavy spells of rain at times and good prospects for rain scatter on the GHz bands. It is possible that there could be some thunder in the heavier rain, so it’s now the season to be aware of lightning risk.

The meteor scatter prospects are staggering towards the 22^nd of April Lyrids, which peak on Tuesday of the following week, so we’re still probably relying on random activity for most of this coming week, but with improving chances.

The solar conditions have been feeding low-level auroral activity and it remains a good time of the year when some effective auroral conditions can appear - so stay alert to the state of the Kp index, just in case.

The good news at this time of the year is that Sporadic-E will eventually make an appearance, usually on 10m or 6m, and is quite often first picked out on the digital modes. It will be into late April before we need to get too excited about this, but there is no harm in getting a set of beacons in mind for tracking an opening.

Remember the main characteristic of Es is that it starts on the lower frequencies like 10m, and works up through 6m to 4m and then finally 2m in a high-summer opening.

EME path losses are at their maximum at apogee this evening, the 13^th, and Moon declination is negative and falling further. Moon windows will continue to shorten with peak elevation reaching only eight degrees at the end of next week. 144MHz sky noise starts the week low but will increase during the week to more than 2300 Kelvin on Friday.

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