RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for 20th April 2025

GB2RS News

Sunday the 20^th of April 2025

 

The news headlines:

• Take advantage of new RSGB membership benefits for 2025!
• The RSGB Board has announced Directors’ liaison roles
• The RSGB has released a 1925 bulletin containing the original announcement of the formation of the IARU

As a new benefit, the Society has teamed up with several museums to offer RSGB members discounted entry for 2025. Members can receive between 20% and 50% off admission fees at Amberley Museum, Bawdsey Radar Museum, Internal Fire Museum of Power, PK Porthcurno Museum of Global Communications and The National Museum of Computing. So, whether you’re into engines, radar, transport, computers or communications there’s sure to be something for you. To find out more, visit rsgb.org/partner-museums

Following the RSGB 2025 AGM on Saturday the 12^th of April, a brief Board meeting was held. The Board elected Stewart Bryant, G3YSX to continue in the role of Board Chair and Peter Bowyer, G4MJS to continue as Vice Chair. Both will remain in these roles until the 2026 AGM. The Board liaison roles with RSGB committees, Honorary Officers and areas of RSGB strategy have also been agreed. To find out more or to see contact details for each Board Director, go to rsgb.org/board

World Amateur Radio Day was on Friday the 18^th of April. It was also on that day in 1925 that the International Amateur Radio Union was formed in Paris. In celebration of this, the RSGB has shared a T & R Bulletin from 1925 that details the original announcement about the IARU’s formation. This unique document has been made publicly available for all radio amateurs to be able to enjoy. To start reading, simply go to rsgb.org/radcom then click on the image to enter the web app and select the ‘RadCom Sample’ option in the header.

The RSGB website has a wealth of information available to you, and the search function is a useful tool to find what you are looking for. However, to make things as straightforward as possible, the Society has updated the contacts page on its website. If you need to get in touch about something specific, you’ll be able to find the correct contact details at a glance. Each Headquarters department is listed with the range of services they offer. For example, you’ll see that the Sales Team can also help with club insurance, Membership Services will help with any issues logging into its online membership portal, and that GB2RS news items should be sent to the RadCom Team. Whatever your query, the Team is there to help. If you need more local help, please contact your Regional Team representatives. Head over to rsgb.org/contact  to find out how to get in touch.

Professor Gwyn Griffiths, G3ZIL is a well-known member of the RSGB Propagation Studies Committee, as well as someone involved with Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation, also known as HamSCI. In celebration of Citizen Science Month during April, the RSGB has shared Gwyn’s HamSCI presentation from the RSGB 2024 Convention on its YouTube channel. In the talk, Gwyn outlines the organisation’s activities, particularly during the 2023 and 2024 eclipses. Go to youtube.com/theRSGB  to watch the talk now. If you’d like to find out more, join the RSGB for May’s Tonight@8 webinar when HamSCI lead Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF presents ‘Space weather we can do together’. Both Gwyn and Nathaniel recently won awards in the RSGB 2025 AGM Trophy Presentation. You can also get involved with HamSCI’s preparations for a series of meteor scatter experiments in August and December. You can find further details via hamsci.org/msqp

Have you ever wondered about the origins of the smart doorbell? Although a modern phenomenon, it has a history dating back over 100 years. During the latest series of The Secret Genius of Modern Life, Hannah Fry explores its early origins with a device created by Leon Theremin. During the episode radio amateur Neil, G4DBN, re-creates Leon’s device. The episode will air on BBC2 at 20.00 on Wednesday the 23^rd of April. Many of you will know Neil from Season One, Episode One of the series when he re-created the Great Seal Bug. Both episodes are available to watch now via BBC iPlayer.

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 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.

The Dartmoor Radio Rally is taking place on Monday the 5^th of May at the Yelverton War Memorial Hall, Meavy Lane, Yelverton, Devon, PL20 6AL. Free parking is available. There will be the usual bring and buy, trader stands and refreshments. Doors open at 10am and admission is £3. For further details, please contact Roger by phone on 07854 088882, or email 2e0rph@gmail.com

Now the Special Event news

The Spanish national society, URE, is on the air to mark the 100^th anniversary of the IARU. Members are active on 160m to 6m until 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.

The Portuguese national society, REP, is also activating a number of special callsigns as part of celebrations for the 100^th anniversary of the IARU. This includes CR1IARU from the Azores, CR3IARU from Madeira and CR5IARU from mainland Portugal. Members will be active on multiple bands and modes. Look out for activity until the 24^th of April. Full details can be found via tinyurl.com/CR1IARU

The Amateur Radio Society of Moldova is operating special event station ER100IARU until Wednesday the 30^th of April in honour of the IARU Centenary. Full details can be found via qrz.com

The Kuwait Amateur Radio Society is pleased to announce its participation in the IARU centennial celebrations. Members of the Society will be operating special event station 9K100IARU until Wednesday the 30^th of April.

Ten teams of radio amateurs from around the world are commemorating 80 years since Operation Manna and Operation Chowhound. The two operations were humanitarian food drops that helped to relieve the famine in the Netherlands behind Nazi lines late in World War Two. The teams will be active between the 25^th and 27^th of April on HF, VHF and the DMR Brandmeister Talk Groups unique to this event. A number of the teams are also welcoming visitors and arranging activities at their locations. To find details of Talk Groups for this event, the teams involved, as well as how to collect a commemorative award, go to manna80.radio

Now the DX news

Aldir, PY1SAD is active again from Georgetown in Guyana 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.

Arno, DK1HV is active from Greenland as OX/DK1VK until Sunday the 27^th of April. He’ll be QRV on 160m to 10m mainly SSB using wire antennas and 100W radio. QSL available via his home callsign.

Dom, 3D2USU is active again as 3D2AJT from Nadi in the Fiji Islands until the end of April. The call sign is in memory of JH1AJT, now Silent Key. QSL via Club Log's OQRS and Logbook of The World.

Now the contest news

On Tuesday the 22^nd of April, the SHF UK Activity Contest runs from 1830 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on 2.3 to 10GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

On Thursday the 24^th of April, the 80m Club Championship runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using PSK63 and RTTY, the exchange is signal report and serial number.

The UK and Ireland DX CW Contest starts at 1200UTC on Saturday the 26^th of April and ends at 1200UTC on Sunday the 27^th of April. Using CW on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. UK and Ireland stations also send their district code.

The SP DX RTTY Contest starts at 1200UTC on Saturday the 26^th of April and ends at 1200UTC on Sunday the 27^th of April. Using RTTY on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. SP stations also send their province code.

 

Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 17^th of April 2025

Last week was characterised by increased Kp index numbers and severe geomagnetic storms, peaking at G4. These drove down maximum usable frequencies and disrupted DX contacts, especially on the higher HF bands.

The solar wind speed increased from 380 kilometres per second to around 500 kilometres per second on the 15^th and an increase in plasma density was noted as well. Subsequently, the Kp index peaked at 7.67 on Wednesday the 16^th, causing visible aurora alerts in the UK.

This was caused by a pair of CMEs that left the Sun on Sunday the 13^th of April. We had a total of 22 M-class solar flares over four days, so a CME event was inevitable.

Unsettled geomagnetic conditions are a feature on the declining side of a solar cycle, so we could unfortunately be in for many more.

According to Propquest, MUFs over a 3,000km path fell to below 18MHz for long periods on Wednesday the 16^th, before climbing to around 21MHz at the end of the day.

Meanwhile, the solar flux index fell from a high of 170 on Friday the 11^th of April to a low of 148 on Wednesday the 16^th of April.

Next week, NOAA predicts that the SFI will start the week around 145 but could increase to 165 as the week progresses. Unsettled geomagnetic conditions are forecast for the 22^nd to the 24^th of April, with a predicted maximum Kp index of four.

As always, keep an eye on solarham.com for daily updates, but more importantly, get on the bands, which are a much more effective guide to HF propagation!

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

The current period of unsettled weather looks likely to continue into the coming week. This does not mean rain every day, but periods of rain or showers with some intervening drier spells. These drier interludes are not really dominated by high pressure, just gaps between the wetter periods, so it's unlikely to produce much significant Tropo.

In terms of propagation, there may be some rain scatter, although it won’t be very reliable. However, the prospects for meteor scatter are more promising with the peak of the Lyrids due on Tuesday the 22^nd of April. It is worth checking up on procedures for meteor scatter working if you’ve not done it before and you may find a new part of the hobby to add to your operating schedule.

The prospects for aurora continue to be raised by what seems like an almost daily supply of aurora alerts. Continue to monitor the Kp index for signs of elevated values, where Kp is above five, for radio activity. Early signs such as fluttery signals on the LF and HF bands may suggest it's worth looking on the VHF bands for auroral activity.

As we move towards the new season it is good to get into the habit of looking for Sporadic-E. The Propquest website www.propquest.co.uk shows several useful components for analysing the Es prospects. If you look at the position of the jet streams shown on the Es blog tab, these can produce favourable conditions geographically to give a hint of the right direction in which to listen. The opening season typically favours 10m or 6m.

EME path losses are now decreasing towards perigee on Sunday the 27^th of April. Last Friday, the 18^th of April, saw minimum Moon declination, so Moon windows will lengthen along with peak elevation. 144MHz sky noise starts this week very high but decreases to low as the week progresses.

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