RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for 16th July 2023

GB2RS News

Sunday the 16^th of July 2023

The news headlines:

• Ofcom consultation video guidance
• World Radiosport Team Championships
• RSGB coding activities

 

The RSGB has just released a video in which RSGB Spectrum and licensing expert Murray Niman, G6JYB, explains more about Ofcom’s Consultation on “Updating the amateur radio licensing framework”. This is the biggest revamp of amateur radio licensing and callsign policy in a generation. The video forms part of the RSGB’s wider guidance for radio amateurs on this Consultation. You can watch it on the RSGB’s YouTube channel or on the Society’s consultation web page at rsgb.org/licencereview

The UK has been awarded the hosting rights for the 10^th World Radiosport Team Championships, which will take place in July 2026. Sometimes referred to as the ‘Olympic Games of amateur radio’, the WRTC is hosted by a different nation every four years. To find out more about this radio contest event, which will take place in East Anglia, see wrtc2026.org

As part of the RSGB’s commitment to encourage youngsters into amateur radio and to support lifelong learning, the Society is providing resources and creating coding activities for people to try throughout the month of September. From the BBC Micro:bit to Node-RED and GNU Radio, there will be detailed activity sheets available on the RSGB’s website. The RSGB hopes this will give you ideas to try yourself, with your club or to use as a workshop at your local school or community group. Some clubs are already planning workshops and there will be details of those on the website to inspire you too. Find out more at rsgb.org/coding

Each RSGB Board Director has a liaison role between the Board and specific aspects of the Society’s work. The General Manager also has operational responsibilities. The RSGB’s Board web page now has a list of the different responsibilities for the current Board. The Society hopes that RSGB Members will be able to use this as a guide to help them know who to contact if they have questions, concerns or ideas about any areas of the Society’s activities. You can contact each Board Director, and the General Manager, via the email address shown by their name. Go to rsgb.org/board to find out more.

A reminder now that every Thursday, a global net called ‘APRSThursday’ takes place using the Automatic Packet Reporting System, also known as APRS, for 24 hours. For amateurs who have APRS equipment, it is an opportunity to explore the mode and make contacts with other stations joining the net. The APRS frequency is 144.800MHz in Europe, and each week between 300 and 500 operators take part in the net. Further information can be found via aprsph.net

And now for details of rallies and events

The McMichael Radio and Electronics Rally and Car Boot Sale is taking place today, Sunday the 16^th of July. The venue is Reading Rugby Club which offers a bar and catering facilities and has ample free parking. Admission is £3 per person and £10 per table for traders. Visit mcmichaelrally.org.uk for more information and contact details.

The Finningley Amateur Radio Society Rally will take place on Sunday the 23^rd of July at Belton Road, Sandtoft, Doncaster, DN8 5SX. The doors will be open from 10am and a food bar will be available. For more information visit g0ghk.com

Wiltshire Radio and Car Boot Sale will take place on Sunday the 30^th of July at Kington Langley Village Hall and Playing Field, Kington Langley, Wiltshire SN15 5NJ. The event will start at 9am and finish at 1pm. There is a £2 entry fee for traders. Indoor tables cost £10. Admittance for car booters is £10, and for vans it is £15. For further information please contact Chairman@Chippenhamradio.club

Now the Special Event News

Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade Watch House will be on the air on Friday the 21^st of July using the callsign GB4VLB. The station will be active on the 60 to 10m HF bands, and the 6m VHF band, using SSB and CW modes. QSL via Logbook of the World. For more information visit QRZ.com

Special callsign TM110TDF is active until the 23rd of July to mark the 110^th Tour de France. The station will be operating on the HF bands using SSB, CW and digital modes as well as 2m EME. QSL via F8GGZ.

 Now the DX news

A team of amateurs is active as KH8RRC from Tutuila, OC-045, in American Samoa until the 18^th of July. They are operating using CW, SSB, FT8 and FT4 on the 80 to 6m bands from a mountain-top location within the American Samoa National Park. This will be the first ever Parks on the Air activity on the island. QSL via Club Log's OQRS, or direct to KB2FMH.

An Italian DXpedition team is active from the Democratic Republic of the Congo until the 18^th of July. 9Q1AA and 9Q1ZZ are operating using SSB, CW, RTTY and FT8. See i2ysb.com/idt for more information including a band plan. QSL direct to I2YSB.

Look for Peter, PJ5/PA4O and Ad, PJ5/PE6Q who are active from Sint Eustatius, NA-145, until the 18^th of July. They are operating using CW, SSB and FT8 on the 80 to 6m bands. QSL via Club Log's OQRS.

Now the contest news

Today, Sunday the 16^th, the International Low Power Contest runs from 0900 to 1600UTC. Using CW on the 80, 40 and 20m bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and TX power.

On Monday the 17^th of July, the RSGB FT4 Contest runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using FT4 on the 80, 40 and 20m bands, the exchange is your report.

On Tuesday the 18^th of July, the 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on 1.3GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

On Thursday the 20^th of July, 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 13^th of July 2023

Last week saw the arrival of one of the biggest sunspots of this cycle. Active region 3363 could swallow the Earth four times over. It is a source of M-class flares, but at the time of writing hasn’t produced any X-class events.

A new sunspot region 3372 has just rotated into view and has also been the source of eight M-class flares, one of which may have caused a coronal mass ejection that could give a glancing blow to the Earth this weekend – watch this one for more activity as it rotates into an Earth-facing position.

Meanwhile, the Solar Flux Index has been hovering around the 200 mark, meaning daytime MUFs over a 3,000km path are around 21MHz, sometimes slightly lower. At night this falls to around 14 to 18MHz so don’t write off HF once the sun sets.

Next week, NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Centre has the Solar Flux Index around 175. While we have been lucky that Earth has not been subjected to too much geomagnetic disruption, after any disturbance across the weekend, the Space Weather Prediction Centre has forecast that the Kp index will be around two again all week.

So it may be ideal for DX, like Silvano 9Q1AA/9Q1ZZ in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who has been active on the 10 and 15m bands recently. Or the KH8RRC DXpedition to American Samoa which is active until the 18^th.

Remember, there is DX to be worked – you’ve just got to pick the right band and time.

And now the VHF and up propagation news

The predominant theme this week is driven by low pressure systems, meaning further days of heavy rain or thundery showers and a distinct lack of Tropo from areas of high pressure.

However, there is a split in the different models' view for southern Britain later in the coming week in which some try to build a ridge across southern UK and France from the Azores high. Check the forecast charts from Wednesday onwards to see which version ‘wins’.

In the meantime, the heavy rain will continue the recent good run of rainscatter on the GHz bands.

Sporadic-E will probably continue to be a feature on most days somewhere in Europe. Last Wednesday night saw another good opening to Newfoundland.

Remember that there are plenty of online clusters and map plots showing where the focus of activity is located. Each day a blog is published on propquest.co.uk detailing the locations of likely Sporadic-E activity, based upon the positions of various weather features suspected of being responsible for the location of Sporadic-E patches.

The recent behaviour of the Sun has regularly affected the prospects for VHF propagation by interaction with the Earth’s magnetic field giving a high Kp index, above five, which can be a sign of auroral conditions.

A high Kp index is potentially a bad thing for Sporadic-E prospects, some operators suggesting that it is possible that solar flare activity may also be a negative influence on Sporadic-E. Meteor scatter prospects continue to improve due to two broad-peaked showers coming up later in the month.

This weekend sees maximum Moon declination but losses are high as we approach apogee next Thursday. 144MHz sky noise is moderate until Monday when the Sun is close to the Moon for the whole day’s pass, lasting until 9am on Tuesday. After this, sky noise is low for the rest of the week.  

And that’s all from the propagation team this week